Paul Krugman- Not The Election They Were Expecting

[Sekhmets Daughter]

5. I've been giving this some thought myself

over the past few days. I've concluded that we are in the end days of a "conservative cycle" that began with the Nixon "southern strategy" and took off during the Reagan years. Tax cuts to "starve the beast" of government, a continual "government is the problem" meme...and all the rest. Legalized abortion gave the Republicans a much needed tool to consolidate the electorate behind their "small government" bullshit. It was particularly successful because it drew Catholics as well as evangelicals into the Republican fold. But just as the Tea Party may prove to be a Frankenstein monster for the GOP, the anti-choice message is driving women back into the Democratic fold...the Bride of Frankenstein, if you will. I think our politics are cyclical...From FDR until Nixon we had a center left electorate.... Then the Civil Rights Legislation caused white southern Democrats to bolt to the GOP...legalized abortion was the "over-reach of the Dems....much of the country was not yet ready for it. So after 40 years of a country being dragged to the right, the conservatives have finally over-reached themselves. Campaigning on jobs in 2010, they have blocked every jobs bill and gone after reproductive rights and women...meanwhile women, and the men who love and RESPECT them, have embraced the right to choose their own destiny and are saying NO to the conservative agenda.

Some have speculated that if re-elected Obama may prove to be a transformative president is the same way (but opposite direction) as was Reagan. If he can keep the country moving left and if Hillary runs in 2016 it could be the first time we've enjoyed Democratic control of the WH for more than 8 years since the 20 years with FDR and Truman.

Am I dreaming?