Looking at the way the Republicans and the conservatives have played the game of politics in the past twenty years teaches us many lessons. The system is designed based on consensus, so a small minority within the party had pushed it more and more to the right, to the point that they have now become a large minority. This large minority, however, has proven that it is willing to put the gun on their own head when necessary, and pull the trigger. As a result, they have installed this belief that the Republican party is a permanent minority party without them (o they are indispensable), and the party leaders and establishment cannot survive crossing them on major issues. They have also accepted the fact that political power in the US rotates, so they won't win all elections, so they should advance their agenda when in power, and obstruct when in opposition so they will be back in power as soon as possible. The accomplishments of these large minorities within the Republican party are astonishing. In the past 16 years, they have forced Clinton to basically do nothing in his second term, forced the nation into two full-fledged wars, passed unprecedented tax cuts for the wealthy and corporates, weakened environmental protection laws and deregulated many other industries to the point of economic meltdown and environmental disasters, all of which happened when they either controlled the congress, the White House, or both. It was a good run for them that lasted 12 years. Then they lost two elections, when the Democrats controlled both houses and the White House; yet, they managed to stir enough popular anger and noise to count the bank bailout as a part of a "liberal" agenda, water down the stimulus package to the point that it didn't work as it was supposed to, without offering a single vote for the health care bill they still took several key provisions out of it and dragged it so long that it did become the Democrats Waterloo, and partially won an election by only offering NO. Now, with a 50~60 member minority within the Republican caucus in the house, they have succeeded in changing the terms of national debate and dictating their will to the American people. If they succeed in this debate, which I suspect they already have, even if they lose the next election, they have already won big. They have done that by controlling relatively a small share of political power. We had a much larger share of power in 2006 after the midterm elections, and none of the Democratic/liberal agenda items materialized. Heck, a historic 2008 election gave no "mandate" to Obama and the congress to advance much of what they promised their voters. The question is, Why? We have always had more than 50 very liberal house members and several liberal senators who are pretty good on issues. They talk a good talk on TV, but they never deliver. We've got to stop giving people on our side a pass. In a political system where being suicidal pays dividends, we should also play it like that. It will either work on occasions, or result in a structural change in American politics and bring the Republicans back to center-right where they should be.
