Edsall describes well the relationship between the Republican Party and the interest groups that make up its awkward coalition. A conservative activist like Paul Weyrich of the Free Congress Foundation “conceives of an ideal world in which his conservatism and the Republican Party are one and the same.” In contrast, Edsall writes, the liberal interest groups “were created when liberals and Democrats were in power,” and its leaders “all see themselves and their goals as separate and distinct from those of the Democratic Party.” The Democrats are half a party, with their strongest ideological allies always keeping one foot out of it. This is a story worthy of a book of its own, but something in this relationship must change. ~Mark Schmitt, The Washington Monthly

Before the liberals go rushing to embrace the GOP model, they might consider that conservatives, including Mr. Weyrich, have grown disgusted with the GOP in many respects and have started to learn to distance themselves from it.  At the very moment that conservatives are learning the horrible price to be paid for “effective” campaigning and politicking, Mr. Schmitt seems to be recommending that liberals sell whatever integrity they have to make the Democratic Party more competitive.  Trust me, folks, it aint worth it.