"Gerry From Princeton, You're on the Line"

Turns out that Princeton has more than one smart guy in the room. More than a few of the missives here have been pointed at the DNC's incompetence, in 2010 and 2012. Based on desultory reporting, it was clear that the notion that the Lunatic Right is on the ropes was simply stupid.

Today's Times offers up a data based study (from whence the data, if I knew, I'd have written it) showing how the Lunatic Right has transformed itself into a permanent ruling minority.

Democrats received 1.4 million more votes for the House of Representatives, yet Republicans won control of the House by a 234 to 201 margin.

Given the structure of American government, these lunatics will: block any progress with its House majority, defy Federal law in states where it controls government (currently 17 a nice graphic), and continue to manipulate voting rights to institutionalize itself.

... gerrymandering is a major form of disenfranchisement. In the seven states where Republicans redrew the districts, 16.7 million votes were cast for Republicans and 16.4 million votes were cast for Democrats. This elected 73 Republicans and 34 Democrats.

And it gets worse:

... Mr. Carrico's proposal applied nationwide would have elected Mitt Romney, despite the fact that he won five million fewer votes than Mr. Obama. This is basically an admission of defeat by Republicans in swing states. Mr. Carrico's constituents might well ask whether these changes serve their interests or those of the Republican National Committee.

Here, Wang slaps on his rose colored glasses: of course the constituents approve; they're the Sunnis grinding the Shiites under their heel. It is naked power, applied nakedly. If you look at the USA Today maps, you'll see that these Lunatic Right states are, save 3, in the South and Mountain states. In other words, states of stupidity.