There is one glimmer of hope. We lived through many years of Republican presidents, Dem Congress. But back then the Dems had an agenda. They don't now...other than to get Bush.
They can only get so far with "moderate talk". Eventually they're going to have to agree on an agenda. And that could very well be when the wheels come off their "diverse" coalition of interest groups. They can't stifle the unions, the Black Caucus, and Hollywood forever. For a while, yes. But not forever.
So it's going to be interesting watching them try to patch together the agenda they never came up with during the campaign. Not fun, but interesting.
I agree with you, it's easier to win elections than it is to govern. And radicals rarely survive long once they gain power.