I think Norm Ornstein allowed himself to get a little over-exuberant about the ascendancy of liberalism in the U.S. Senate, but he didn’t even mention the two new liberal senators from Hawai’i. I agree that the Senate is probably more liberal at the moment than in any other period of my life. And I agree that there are some whip-smart liberals in the body who will gain seniority and influence over time. But, it won’t mean much at all as long as the House is controlled by Republicans and the Senate Republicans are being cast in the Rand Paul and Mike Lee mold.
I also think Josh Kraushaar is hyperventilating a bit when he predicts that the GOP will soon be abandoned to the Tea Party folks while The Establishment works to create a new party. There are powerful obstacles to creating third parties that can compete, let alone supplant one of the two majors. The GOP is more likely to see fruitless challenges from its middle that do nothing more than ensure Democratic victories. We could see that happen in Virginia’s gubernatorial race this fall.