What I Saw At The Coup - Matt Bracken
Eisenhower, by turning a blind eye to widespread fraud, established a precedent for an increasingly weak GOP, which has never developed the media skills of the Democrats. The Republican "Establishment" simply accepts the Democrats as America's default party, allowing them absolute control of the machinery of government on every level, using safe seats to seek only a share of the swag and favors for an elite constituency.
Speaking of roller-coasters, I'd say we're about 3/4 of the way down the Big Dip, beyond which the track has been vandalized.