Hey, I'm not sure why my fellow Republicans and fellow conservatives seem so down-hearted lately.
It seems as if this side sometimes apes the primitives, and forgets history.
A little story here, and a true one.
As recently as six months ago, the Bostonian Drunkard on Skins's island alleged the current Republican seat in the U.S. Senate from Nebraska was "more than likely" to turn Democrat in the elections of November 2008.
That was no particular insight of the Bostonian Drunkard, who copies ideas rather than creates ideas; that was the opinion of political professionals, including Charles "Joe McCarthy" Schumer (D-New York), head of the Democrat Senatorial Campaign Committee.
And also the opinion of disheartened Republicans here in Nebraska.
It was going to a Democrat for sure; one could bet the farm on it.
This speculation was based upon that while the incumbent Charles Hagel had the trust of diehard Republicans in Nebraska, he had lost the trust and goodwill of the vast majority of the general public in Nebraska, because of his aberrant change-of-mind about the War for the Liberation of Iraq.
So it wasn't expected Hagel would be re-elected here in Nebraska, and if he chose not to run, there wasn't a first-tier Republican candidate to take his place; plenty of first-tier-and-a-half Republicans, plenty of second-tier Republicans; good people all, but who would be mauled by the Democrat candidate.....if the Democrat candidate happened to be former U.S. Senator Joseph R. ("Bob") Kerrey or the current mayor of Omaha, Michael "Richard Daley" Fahey, both of whom make U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-Connecticut) look like a wimpish dove on the matter.
It looked pretty bleak to everybody.....excepting franksolich, who chose to sit back, relax, and watch.
Well, where are we now, six months after those dread dire predictions?
I suppose it's reasonable to say that Senate seat is safely Republican; no doubt about it.
In fact, the Democrat party here can't even get a Democrat to run for the seat.
No Democrat in Nebraska wants to touch that race with a ten-foot pole.
Things change very quickly in the world (of course, they can just as easily change for the worse.....but they have an equally-good chance of changing for the better, too).
So my suggestion is that if anyone feels "down" about Republican and conservative prospects this autumn--"down" for whatever reason, any reason--he should sit down, relax, get mellow, and watch with an open and clear mind as unanticipated, unforeseen, unexpected opportunities spontaneously arise.
Anything can happen.
And it's just as likely something good could happen, as something bad.