Hey, indeedy. Steve Benen and Jon Chait have a laugh at Michael Gerson’s expense. Because, Gerson actually wrote this:
Gerson sees this [budget] standoff as confirmation of Obama’s cynicism. Obama, he writes, “knows that Republicans are forced by the momentum of their ideology to take positions on spending that he can easily demagogue.” They’re forced by ideology. There’s nothing they can do about it! The ideology has momentum. Republicans are merely along for the ride.
“The momentum of their ideology” will now join “catapulting the propaganda” in the pantheon of awesomely-coined terms Republicans use to explain their own evil/insanity. Just like defining themselves outside the “reality-based community,” the phrase does more work than originally intended.
But, you know what? What have I been telling you for years now? The Republicans’ strength in unity becomes a weakness when it comes time to get flexible. If I know that you will never fold a pair of jacks, eventually I will own all your money. It’s really that simple. The GOP telegraphs their positions, digs in, and never suspects the flanking maneuver. That’s on defense. On offense, they walk straight forward without ever sending out forward observers to look out for ambushes. If you know exactly what they will or won’t do (at least on a few crucial issues) you can set them up months or even years in advance. And they are so propelled by the momentum of their ideology, that it’s almost not fair to mow them down. Almost.