The topic of Republican anger (really rage) at probable Democratic electoral gains is being addressed explicitly these days. I guess the media first really took notice after that Palin rally where crowds began tossing epithets at the media.
Politico.com has a story up today, as does the Washington Post.
The fury is over the top. I remember how this place, as partisan a site as exists, was in 2004. And we were nowhere near the hysteria that Republicans are now acting out.
More below
There was a great analysis of the anger about two weeks ago - somewhere (alas I didn't clip it, I think it might have been the Huffington Post, any references are welcome) which put it in terms of the entitlement the Republican voter feels. Somehow, even the idea of not winning this election is so fraught with a loss of identity that the idea cannot even be entertained.
The definition of themselves - winners, dominant, tough, favored, right, core, true, etc. - is not about policies so much as their emotional identiy as "the favored child." If those core assumptions are challenged, they melt down into tantrums.
Reagan really created this dynamic (entitlement because you wear a flag pin / carry a gun / drive a pickup / oppose abortion / oppose gays). Notice how little effort all those things take - and the outsize reward that results (I am a Real American, therefore I deserve success, including prosperity).
My question to you all: do we need to understand more about Republican anger? They certainly spend no time trying to understand ours! But do we need to understand theirs, for the sake of the future of this country?
Also, please contribute any other examples of Republican hysteria you can find. I'm trying to keep track of this subject.