The radical left has been living in this dream of incremental progressivism for many decades. They've always thought that losses were only temporary setbacks in the path to the inevitable socialist utopia.
But Dubya has scared them. Not because he's more extreme than Reagan was, but because he's made them realize that we're not moving in the way that their theology has always said they would.
They're beginning to realize that they've been losing. That the Reagan Revolution was a true revolution - and that they're faced with a competing and compelling ideology.
And that they are looking at a future of freedom, prosperity, and individual liberty.
And it scares the willies out of them.
And the thing is that they've grown to believe that they are entitled to power. That a government is legitimate only if it works to further their collectivist ideals.
They're going to lose the power to filibuster in 2006. Rendering them powerless. And in 2008, they'll gain nothing back.
That's when they're going to be most dangerous. I put the odds are less than 50% that they will accept their loss without violence and civil war.
Hillary is already building up a stockpile of ballots to be used in November 2008. The Republican nominee is going to need at least 55% of the vote to have a chance of winning.
In summary of your excellant observations.... utopia was