corrente

Are we seeing a trend here?

This is an op-ed piece by a couple of guys from The Economist, hardly a lefty rag but not a Republican mouthpiece by any means.
(via LATimes)

BOSTON — One of the secrets of conservative America is how often it has welcomed Republican defeats.. In November 1992, George H.W. Bush's defeat provoked celebrations not just in Little Rock, where the Clintonites danced around to Fleetwood Mac, but also in some corners of conservative America.

"Oh yeah, man, it was fabulous," recalled Tom DeLay, the hard-line congressman from Sugar Land, Texas, who had feared another "four years of misery" fighting the urge to cross his party's too-liberal leader. At the Heritage Foundation, a group of right-wingers called the Third Generation conducted a bizarre rite involving a plastic head of the deposed president on a platter decorated with blood-red crepe paper...

[A] few conservatives might welcome a November Bush-bashing: the certain belief that they will be back, better than ever, in 2008... In four years, many conservatives believe, President Kerry could limp to destruction at the hands of somebody like Colorado Gov. Bill Owens.

I find the historical analysis here weak [go read details for yourself, we can always argue in comments] and the conclusions even more so. The groups that are so far hanging on to the "conservative movement" barely managed to eke out enough votes to steal connive their way into the White House last time. Who else are they going to cut out for being "too liberal"?

I smell grapes turning sour in the Texas sun.