My gut tells me that the population would be more outraged by a lurch to the left. A slide to the left however is like increasing taxes. People don’t get outraged very much and one day they maybe wake up to the fact that > 50% of their pay is going to the government.
A hard leftist Democrat President would be a good way to get a Republican Majority in the House in 2010.
And maybe it would be best to rebuild the Republican Coalition. Which is pretty much dead right now.
Judges as you state, are the big problem unfortunately.
I don't trust my gut with regard to that any longer. I have seen too much.