"The roar of outrage from the conservative wing of the party over the spending, lack of decisiveness with key judicial nominees, and the creation of a vast open-ended entitlement (Pill Bill), has awakened them. And the hint at a new amnesty and expanded funding for long-hated symbols like NEA and Departments of Labor and Education were the gasoline thrown upon the smoldering fire, causing it to flare up actively. They have tried, via throwing money and through symbolic political appeals, to expand their vote base to traditional Dim voters (pro-choicers, blacks, Hispanics, gays). No matter how much money or political captial they've thrown away on this, it makes those groups hate them even more. And it has made the base livid although we have been exceedingly charitable about this matter to date. They finally had to rub our noses in it before we reacted. We have been very patient. To a fault actually. The Rockefeller wing had hoped to expand their appeal so they could finally rid themselves of the religious right. And it has failed miserably. Now congressional re-elections are being threatened by their liberal spending and there is enough anger in key states to threaten Bush's re-election. This is not a situation the base wanted. To the contrary, we ignored the mounting evidence, in something of a state of denial. But they tried to discard us and failed. Now they would like to blame us because they failed to stab us in the back after all the years we voted for them and supported them. So now, we have the whip hand. And it is the party faithful, those who would vote GOP if Bush promised them a Stalinist police state, who are the real FRingers. Their votes are assured. But we, who are the margin of victory in many congressional and downstream elections and the re-election of Bush, are in the driver's seat. There's no reason to decide just yet whether to jump ship."
FReegards...MUD