Republicans look to be on the verge of dramatic gains in this year’s mid-term elections.<\/p>\n
It’s a dramatic reversal for the GOP, and a joyous one for conservatives terrified of (and infuriated by) the Democratic Party’s agenda.<\/p>\n
Just two years after their near-collapse following Barack Obama’s election, Republican leaders are poised to retake the high ground.<\/p>\n
By any measure, it’s a remarkable accomplishment — in some ways more breathtaking a revival than the 1994 revolution led by Newt Gingrich.<\/p>\n
But it’s also a period fraught with danger and uncertainty for Republicans, with deep schisms that raise questions about the party’s future agenda.<\/p>\n
Consider Alaska, where the Republican Senate candidate has now dropped into third place behind the Democrat and a write-in candidate.<\/p>\n
Consider Colorado, where the GOP’s candidate for governor is running so far behind that Republicans could lose their “major party” status.<\/p>\n
Consider the fact that the Republican Party itself is now woefully underfunded and disorganized.<\/p>\n
The GOP is being outspent and outhustled by a pantheon of conservative outsider groups — many of them bankrolled anonymously.<\/p>\n
That’s been a huge help in this year’s campaign, but it makes forging an actual policy agenda very tricky indeed.<\/p>\n
Consider the fact that the conservative movement’s most charismatic leaders — Sarah Palin being the first among equals — are deeply problematic figures, distrusted by many Americans.<\/p>\n
Consider the fact that on several major issues — from gays in the military to environmental policy — Americans are deeply uncomfortable with the GOP’s positions.<\/p>\n
Consider, finally, that the GOP is surging to power on promises that appear irreconcilable, assuring voters that they will protect entitlement and defense programs, while also cutting government spending, shrinking the deficit, and cutting taxes.<\/p>\n
In the short-ball game of American politics, these factors are being eclipsed for the moment — and fair enough.<\/p>\n
At present, Republicans don’t have to govern; they just have to win.<\/p>\n
And by any measure, it’s better to be on top and struggling with internal divisions than trying to sort through the mess while wandering in the wilderness.<\/p>\n
But the GOP’s travails suggest that after November, they are likely to face a far more challenging political and cultural landscape than the one they claimed in 1995.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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