RINO, DINO, Same-O, Same-O

I have read a few things on some conservativish blogs basically saying: "Good riddance to Specter, he's a RINO. And the other RINOs such as McCain, Snow and Collins can join him."

Be careful what you wish for, guys.

Right now, the inability of the Obama Administration to pass a new assault-weapons ban hinges on a handful of "Blue Dog" Democrats in the Senate who have made no secret about their opposition to a new AWB. The math is such that now they can block it. But as the Right keeps tightening up their ideological purity tests and losing seats in the Congress as a result, the ability of the blue Dogs to stop a new AWB will be diminished.

The GOP will have little effect on national policy if it keeps shrinking towards a core of bitter white guys who think the Civil War turned out badly. The businesses and industry groups who used to fill the coffers of the RNC will not continue to do so, they will give their money to those who can influence policy. This already has begun to happen.

The GOP, as a national party, is bickering about ideological purity as it drifts down towards the political equivalent of crush depth. Instead of doing whatever it can to hang onto viable politicians who identify with the GOP, they have been purging the moderates in primaries and then losing the seats in the general election. The GOP is becoming increasingly ideologically pure and irrelevant.

Maybe folks on the Right think this is a good thing. But they should ponder that if the Democrats gain many more seats, the Blue Dogs won't be able to stop another AWB, or worse. And this time, if anyone thinks that the next iteration of the Brady Bill will also have a sunset provision, they are seriously fooling themselves.