At the time it seemed as if the Bush years might be the last, desperate gasp of white, rural and Protestant extremist America to stem the tide of changing demographics. As the Republican core became more isolated it became more Conservative and less relevant to an evolving America.

So now we have a primarily white Republican party dominated by the wealthy and fundamental Christians and the Democrats, a very loose arrangement of people who are neither wealthy nor Christian extremists.

As the Conservatives get more and more frightened they become more and more dogmatic, less willing to include anything but the pure under the tent. Compromise is a sign of weakness, even though compromise is the art of politics. Political suicide is seemingly more attractive than representing a relatively valid viewpoint effectively.

And when they had the chance, they did not follow their own stated, avowed agenda, opting for huge deficits and larger government.

I don't know if what is happening now is simply the pendulum swinging or a fundamental shift in American politics. I suspect the latter as more and more Americans find themselves shut out of any opportunity for a comfortable living, out of a way to provide their own health insurance and retirement.

The US must either provide people with the opportunity to earn services or provide the services directly. And we increasingly fail at providing people with the ability to earn their health insurance, for instance.

I know, it's possible. But harder, and not everyone has the same mental, emotional and physical abilities and stamina.

Arf