Of course, now there is a perfect legal, legislative and constitutional precedent to delay the hearings for Kennedy’s replacement until AFTER the mid-term elections. I’m sure our strict constitutionalist Tea Baggers in Congress will jump to
carry that out.

The real villains, the really contemptible monsters in this little drama are the intelligent and articulate Conservatives who encouraged these people to rise in their ranks, who actively exploited their ignorance, fear and hatred even while they may have privately disagreed with it. These are the ones that made excuses and looked the other way in the hope of creating an army of cultural shock troops that could be manipulated to further their own petty and self-serving commercial and economic agendas. It is this Conservative movement that is the equivalent of the German bourgeosie who supported the Nazis because they feared the Communists. They arrogantly believed they could unleash their attack dogs now, and then muzzle them later. They were wrong on both counts.

Their is much of value in Conservative philosophy, and much which can be justly criticized in Liberal thought. And there certainly is a legitimate and perhaps inevitable historical dynamic behind what we have been witnessing in American politics over the last half-century. But that is really not the issue here. Yes, I know, the metaphors are overused , but just as the “Good Germans” gave us the Nazis and Herr Doktor Frankenstein gave us the Monster, the Conservative movement in America has evolved into something very similar. What they have done to our country is unforgivable, it is an obscenity. What they have done was deliberately and meticulously planned, and that is beyond contempt.

If white nationalists capture the GOP permanently after this election, that will represent not an ideological realignment, so much as a social or class realignment: Reactionary white people/authoritarians setting themselves apart from a “mainstream” from which they’ve become completely alienated.

That would unwind the great ideological sorting after WWII, when the parties shifted from social alignments to increasingly pure ideological alignments. If the Democratic Party adapts, it can become a really big tent as the mainstream party, where even conservatives are welcome…as long as they’re not rabid crypto-fascists.

One of the long term effects is going to be the alienation of professional modern women from the GOP, at the very time that Democrats elect such a woman to the White House. The Democrats could become something of a women’s party, which might be a necessary counterbalance to the GOP’s institutional misogyny.

“If the Democrats would only…” is a phrase historically fraught with irony; they’re not really an organized political party. But maybe the right has tripped on its own…stop, I’m not a common genital-grabbing trump…maybe the right has finally hoisted itself way up on its own petard, far enough that even the Democrats can stumble across the finish line.

Call me a pollyanna if you will. Go on, seriously. I’m a pollyanna. It keeps me somewhat sane, for certain values of sane.

They organized 8 years of obstruction to Obama, even to those policies of his which they had no fundamental objection to, simply to prevent him from accomplishing anything that might bring him credit. They failed to stop his re-election or block his major programs, but they continued way past the point where it was obvious to everyone. They overplayed their hand and gave themselves away. Their legislative extortion, sabotage and obstruction was designed not to prevent policies they disagreed with, but simply to force the President to fail, no matter what the cost to the country. (Not to mention the voter suppression activities and the whole TParty/Trump phenomenon). If they simply continue that policy against Hillary what they are doing and why will be clear to everyone, except perhaps them.

Their efforts to discredit and hobble the next American President (especially if she wins in a landslide!) will only point out to everyone that the far Right has no intention of accepting anything but full and total domination of the American political system. Trying to pull this off in a time when their demographic base is shrinking will only make it more obvious to everyone, except their shrinking base of True Believers.

The Conservative movement has become a spoiled child in a room full of eye-rolling adults, all wondering why Mommy doesn’t slap the shit out of the brat and send him to his room without any supper.

Obama of course, was black, and too much of a Mr Nice Guy. He couldn’t afford to come across too strong, lest white America, with its gibbering fear of Angry Young Black Men, soil its underwear. Hillary won’t have those problems. She’ll kick their jive ass and take names later.

I’m really enjoying the rancid stench of Conservative fear.

And I really like that “numerology thing”. The last time we had that was 6*6*6 — Ronald*Wilson*Reagan.

And has anybody checked to see if that Texas hunting preserve was the same place where Cheney shot that lawyer?