The Republican Radicals, the Repricans, can not be thought of as part of the US system of two parties with a shared commitment to the common American goal of opportunity for all citizens under a representative government. The common goal of the Repricans is to destroy that system …. what they would replace it with is not at all clear.
There is nothing new about the Repricans. Other radical idealists of the right and the left have pursued similar goals … always leading to a disaster. The Nazis practiced their form of Repugnantism. Repugnancy, however, is not right vs left. Even worse than the Nazis were the Jacobins. Like Ted Cruz or Sarah Palin they yelled “Freedom” while applying litmus tests that led to the failure of the French Republic.
The election of a Reprican Congress holds the same danger. The Reprican threats to get even for Harry Reid’s relaxing the Filibuster rule should be taken seriously. The threat of a filibuster has always been a moderating influence on US politics. When GW Bush nominated incompetents (at least some of them), the Senate provided a balance. Dems make mistakes too. Bill Clinton’s nomination of Lani Guanier was far too radical for my taste. Obama is a lot smarter than Bush and a lot more centrist that Clinton … but a Reprican Senate may try to close down any meaningful nominations! Repricans have now the opportunity to destroy our government by blocking a moderate President from appointing moderate judges and Federal officials.