GET IT RIGHT – AT 8:25 A.M. ET:  One of the constant themes of pundits since Tuesday's voting is the condition of the Republican Party.  That condition is unstable.

It may well be that momentum alone will propel the party to victory in November, even taking over both houses of Congress.  But the fact is, and it is confirmed in every poll, that the GOP is unpopular.  Its message is incoherent, it often appears disorganized, and some of its new, leading personalities – like Rand Paul – are what the Brits call "nutters." 

The American people increasingly don't like the Obama administration or its program.  The opportunity for the Republicans is golden.  And yet, what are they doing with that opportunity?  Instead of coming up with a coherent, attractive program, they're simply positioning themselves as the opposition.  "Vote for us because we're not as bad as the other guys" seems to be the theme.  This may work for a time, but there's a point where "no" becomes rather unexciting.

In addition, it's becoming obvious, just a year before the presidential sweepstakes of 2012 begin, that the Republicans do not have a particular strong stable of candidates who can take on Barack Obama.  The president may be failing, but so was Bill Clinton before he was reelected decisively in 1996.  The Republican tendency simply to pick the next guy in line appears to be at work.  Mitt Romney is the frontrunner by default, something never said about Ronald Reagan.

We have a bit more than five months to go before the election.  You may be sure that the White House is in overdrive trying to come up with ways to mitigate the expected damage to Democrats in Congress.  At least they're doing something, and don't be shocked if they start doing it very well.

We have work to do, and we can't leave it to the tea partiers.

May 20, 2010