Conservatives Got Foxed

Tonight's crushing Republican defeat will be worse than most conservatives realize, according to George W. Bush speechwriter, David Frum, who calls this the conservative's Waterloo.  He writes that conservatives see a big win in November as compensation for this defeat, but he cautions that such a victory may be elusive.

The economy will have improved by November, Frum writes, and the immediate benefits from the healthcare bill's passage will begin to be felt -- young adults will be able to stay insured through a parent's health plan until age 26; children with pre-existing conditions will be able to get health insurance; seniors who fall into the Medicare donut hole will find an additional $250 of coverage available.  

He blames defeat on Republicans and conservatives who refused to negotiate or compromise, choosing to go for all the marbles, and ending up with none.  He also blames conservative talk on Fox News which whipped up the base into such a frenzy that negotiation was impossible.  

How do you negotiate with somebody who wants to murder your grandmother?  Or – more exactly – with somebody whom your voters have been persuaded to believe wants to murder their grandmother?  

I agree with Frum when he writes, "This win for the conservative entertainment industry is a defeat for the conservative cause."  I believe the country has paid an enormous price for the over-the-top rhetoric -- we were denied the best thinking of both parties, because the Republicans simply refused to engage in the legislative process.  And, as Andrew Sullivan wrote recently about conservatives here,

At some point, they'll grow up, and realize politics is not a game to be "won" but a process to be engaged.

If that day comes, soon, America will be better off.