A disturbance in the farce...

John McCain's speech, last night, had the tired air of a condemned man, almost apologetic in it's tone. Contrast that with Sarah Palin's, which was defiant and full of condescension. The torch was clearly passed, and say what you will, this is now a Palin/McCain ticket.

Coincidentally, Ron Paul was on Colbert, last night, and talked about how the Republicans has basically gagged him and his supporters during the convention.

Which leads me to my point.. Regardless of whether the Republicans win or lose, this year, the Christianists are now the dominant force within the party. And while in the past, the Patrician wing of the Republican party has been willing to join forces with the Rollers, in order to get what they want, there's a clear fracture within the party. If they do lose, there's going to be a strong realignment within the party, and the Ron Paul libertarian wing of the party might be the blade that cleaves the stone, clearly dividing the Republicans into fiscal conservatives and social conservatives.

Now, imho it's not that clear cut, since Ron Paul, while havng a cohesive philosophy, doesn't have a cohesive or realistic plan for governing. In particular, his audience includes many of the same Dominionist/Christanist elements that dominate the Republican party right now, drawn by his call for States Rights, and other dogwhistle issues.