Reaping The Fruits Of Extreme Partisanship

I saw Mike Baldwin's cartoon, and it reminded me of Harry Reid's campaign to get Mitt Romney to release his taxes.

Back in the old days (say, before 1994) it was always possible for the mandarins of either party to exert enough influence on the other party to get the other party's mandarins to back off on a campaign like this. There was enough shared interests between the parties such that it was in everybody's interest to back off.

No longer.

With two decades of scorched earth tactics to their credit, the Republicans no longer have a claim on Harry Reid at all. They can't make Harry Reid shut up. They no longer have any shared interests.

They can call Harry Reid names; they can call in favors to Nevada interests; they can get apoplectic; they can bluster and bellow: it doesn't matter. The best they can do - the only thing they can do, really - is to ignore Harry Reid. But they find they can't ignore Harry Reid either.

Call it reaping the fruits of extreme partisanship. Call it reaping the whirlwind. Call it what you will. Harry Reid's utterly shameless. And I love it!