[bobabode]

Originally Posted by Fast_Eddie

A few thoughts:

It's interesting that Can't-or gerrymandered himself out of a job. In building what he thought would be a district so conservative he'd never lose, he built one so conservative he couldn't win. Amazing bit of backfire.

It's frightening because it furthers the idea that Republican should never compromise. Can't-or allegedly is ousted because he suggested that just maybe they should find common ground on immigration. Since compromise is what makes democracy work, it's a little scary. I wonder if the American people will continue to support a congress that literally does absolutely nothing, and now, even runs on a promise to do absolutely nothing.

I also wonder if this won't force even more extreme candidates for national office. Republicans already face an electoral math problem. Pushing the party even further right will make that even more difficult to over-come. As a Democrat, I'm tempted to see that as good news. But really it's not. We're watching what is really a very small group of people move the collective conversation further right. It's moving Democrats to the right as well. Look at the health care issue. We enacted the Nixon/Romney solution - what was always seen as the "Republican" plan. Now it's called "So************************m". The only bright spot - if indeed the Republicans move so far to the right they can't win the White House for several more cycles, the Supreme Court will shift and stay that way for a very long time.

I suspect, however, that middle Republicans will start to get tired of the extreme rhetoric at some point. Some already realize that demonizing the fastest growing demographic in the country is political suicide. Someone will come along and find the right combination of language and charisma to convince the base that they need to change. It's not outside the realm of possible that we'll see the Republican party split. If that were to happen, the Tea Hatters would be exposed for what they are - a small, angry, racist faction. The return of a reasonable Republican party would attract a lot of the Independents who left when things started getting so weird.

Well put sir.