"Republican Death Spiral"

If the defection of Arlen Specter to the Dems wasn't enough, the Republicans decided to shoot themselves in the foot again today courtesy of Michele Bachmann.

The absurdity and ridiculousness that Republicans have devolved to is astounding...



Back in January, Nate Silver at Fivethirtyeight.com put up a good post about what he calls the "Republican Death Spiral" and today utilized his theory in analyzing the Specter's leap, it's worth a read. Here's a quick excerpt...

Thus the Republicans [...] are in something of a death spiral. The more conservative [...] their message becomes, the more they alienate non-base Republicans. But the more they alienate non-base Republicans, the fewer of them are left to worry about appeasing. Thus, their message becomes continually more appealing to the base -- but more conservative, partisan, and strident to the rest of us. And the process loops back upon itself.