Obama has succeeded in ONE thing.  He has managed to drag the national Democrat party further to the left than anytime since WW II. And given us the opportunity for at least a decade of conservative Republican governance.

Whether Obama wins or not next year, one thing is for certain. The race for the Democrat nomination begins the day after Election Day. Like it or not, we are now forever in the era of the continual, nay, perpetual campaign.

In war, sports, and politics, bench strength is very often the key to victory. It’s necessary to nurutre, to bring along new players, future stars, for the overall strength of the team.

The Republican party is now engaged in a vigorous primary struggle for the WH nomination. We’re blessed with several conservative candidates who can appeal to, and energize, the base. Indeed, we’re already seeing speculation about possible VP candidates. Again, we have many strong conservative candidates. You know who they are.

But consider the Democrat party. They have a significant problem. Even during the McGovern fiasco, when the progressives  ran wild, the Dems still had a solid core of center-left elected officials. But no more. In the House, the Blue Dawgs are all but extinct, and the minority caucus, as it contracts, will go further to the hard left wing.

 In the Senate, after eliminating those who are retiring this year, or likely losers, there are two, just barely two..and a weak pair of possible WH candidates they are…..Michael Bennet and Mark Warner. There’s really nobody else.

And after losing the Senate next year, and taking bigger losses in 2014 ( doubt me? – just look at the list of who’s up in 2014) the Senate will be dominated by the Schumer/Durbin/Boxer axis.  Almost impossible for a Democrat senator to run on that agenda.

Governors? Hah? Again, after culling those who are retiring, or likely losers, there’s one, ONE possibility..Cuomo. Good luck with that. NY State will implode financially within the next 4 years. All the other Dem governors are of states in bad financial straights.

But we have to have SOME names for our list. I mean, they need a list..please!  OK, Biden..and Hillary..then Warner, Bennet, and Cuomo. And that’s IT!! Maybe Dean gets back in?   Chris van Holland? Nope…Will Derek Jeter be retired by then? Tom Brady? Chris Matthews? There’s always Alec Baldwin.

They really have no one. That’s because in Congress, the Dems are dominated by the  old bulls…their “politics” of special interest groups..self perpetuating their hand-picked legislators.  Hardly ever a primary, and when there is one, it comes from the left, making the candidate, if successful, unelectable nationally.

Unlike the GOP ( dominated by the Tea Party) which appeals to a broad political spectra, but dominated by a core belief that the federal government is TOO big, TOO costly, and OUT OF CONTROL; the Democrats are primarily beholden to the various special interest groups which first elect them, and then keep on re-electing them.

This may be good for the individual politicans, but it is terrible for the national party, and makes it all butimpossible to develop a national agenda.

To repeat, Obama has managed to do ONE thing. He has dragged the Democrat party so far to the left, that we can now start to contemplate at least a decade of conservative Republican governance.