Just a few months back when Reaganfan was first here, people called him a troll for, among other things, being wildly optimistic on GOP prospects. One of the biggest predictions made by Reaganfan was that the 2004 election was like the 1896 election... this was also on the Rasmussen website. The basic idea is that 2004 is a re-aligning election like 1896, and will usher in decades of GOP dominance like the 1896 election did (although 1904, 1908, 1912 and 1916 all saw progressive candidates returned to office).
Now the former speculation is being predicted by the nation's most respected politico, Karl Rove, as the media interviews him in his victory lap:
Rove, whom Bush called the "architect" of his political campaign, likened Tuesday's election to that of 1896, when voters picked Republican William McKinley and "realigned American politics years afterward."
``There are no permanent majorities in American politics,'' Rove said on the NBC program. ``They last for about 20 or 30 or 40, or, in the case of the Roosevelt coalition, 50 or 60 years, and then they disappear. But would I like to see the Republican Party be the dominant party for whatever time history gives it the chance to be? You bet.''
Reuters
surreal, ain't it? You gotta admit that the GOP has reason to be giddy. Everyone doing the talking-head circuit is congratulating them, and singing Rove's praises. Dems included. I like Ed Rollin's famous quote, "The goal is to win." As in, it isn't how you play the game, it's whether you win or lose. If you can divorce yourself from having a favorite, and just sit back and enjoy the surrealism and sport, then it becomes quite interesting. Like a good football game between two good and evenly matched teams, but where you didn't place a bet on either side. Just watch and enjoy. In the end, the GOP really won this one, favoritisms aside. And yes, they're gloating in an overly optimistic (trollish) fashion, and being helped along even by their opponents, in some cases. Very weird, but entertaining.
welcome back, by the way.