The RLC supports low taxes with balanced budgets, strong national defense, an engaged foreign policy, protection of the environment, and “less government interference in individual lives.” So, this is the place for moderate Republicans -- fiscally responsible but socially tolerant; they want lower taxes and less government, but they allow for a range of opinions on social issues such as stem cell research and abortion. Speaking the other night in Missouri, former Sen. John Danforth said that, after witnessing the Bush administration intervene in the Terri Schiavo case, he saw the need for his party to get away from defining itself by social issues. “I thought, 'This was not the party I signed-on for,'" the Missourian quoted Danforth, an Episcopal priest. “During the time I was in office, I don't think it was a mystery what my religion was, just look at my background. I'm ordained. I've never believed anyone voted for me because of that, and I've never believed I should put that into my political agenda."

But the GOP, George W. Bush in particular, made a Faustian deal with the Christian right-wing of the party long ago, and McCain pulled up to that table this summer when he picked Sarah Palin as his running mate. Thus the spectacle of McCain and Palin, on the campaign trail, hearing shouts of “off with his head” and “terrorist” from the nasty crowds that sense a big defeat coming in a few weeks. Thus Mitt Romney, who would have been far more appealing as the candidate at the top of the GOP ticket this year, finds himself playing McCain surrogate in TV interviews, dismissed – even as a running mate -- for being a Mormon. Thus off-the-charts voter registration and a partisan shift to Democrats across the country. Thus, a big lean toward Obama among Hispanic immigrant voters turned off by conservative Republican fear-mongering and rejection of Bush’s compromise – the only good thing about his presidency – on illegals. Thus the possibility of a filibuster-proof Democratic majority, or close to it, in the Senate.

Though it would be a rocky road back for the GOP, it is not impossible for sanity to ultimately prevail, if the moderates that remain get off their rear-ends, just say no to hate-speech and fear-mongering, and take control of the party again. At least one poll in recent weeks, conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International for Newsweek, indicated that only 10 percent of Americans now regard family values and social issues -- abortion, guns, marriage -- as a priority for the next president. Crushing those issues in importance were the economy, naturally, followed by taxes and government spending, health care, the war in Iraq and energy policy. Though the extremist-booboisie is making a lot of noise right now, most Americans -- including, apparently, the majority of independent voters -- are looking right past them to much more important issues. If the GOP doesn’t see that and move toward the middle – taking the same kind of advice the DLC dished 20 years ago – it will be years before they have power again. Many years. They could be in for an ice age.