>Hmmm. Very well said. I just got done disagreeing with Kevin, in a reply to Sam, but you have explained it better than I understood it. Thanks.
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>You also touch on what I think is the fundamental instability within the Republican party. They are at once the old Republicans -- fiscally conservative, "leave me alone" -- and the socially conservative "religious right" who have to an extent hijacked the party for their own purposes. It's really two parties in one at this point, and they disagree with each other on some pretty fundamental points. (Pun unintended). The only thing that keeps them together is that they know that together they can defeat the Dummycrats and divided they can't. It's like a bad marriage, really.

I think the social conservatives and the fiscal conservatives both sat this one out. I didn't because of Harold Ford and the rest of his family running for different offices. We beat them in two out of three races. Otherwise, I probably would have sat on the sidelines.