Just a note on one path all this is taking: I just listened to a local public radio interview with Arianna Huffington. Not surprisingly, she spent most of her time bitching about the GOP and reveling in the recent spike in crazy emanating from the party. The interesting bit, though, was that she was leveraging her remarks to deliver another, pointed message: to all those Republicans who are disenchanted with the direction their party is mistakenly taking, you’ll find yourselves welcome among Democrats.

Not that I believe any of this, but it’s an obvious tack for the Dems to take - rope in those who are fed up with the rise of theocracy, anti-science and bigotry gushing forth from the religious right and build them into part of the Democratic Party. They’re willing to compromise their ideological principles enough to welcome more votes in their column - instead of purging their party of anyone who strays from the strict liberal rank and file.

It’s a full year until the midterms, and the Dems are already out in front on recruiting efforts like this. The Republicans, meanwhile, continue to flounder and to flirt with throwing as many people out of the party as they can. This does not bode well for next November.