It was a very Midwestern rule, after all. Both topics were once far more private, often discussed with close friends and family (promoting echo chambers,) but not passionately debated with strangers on the street. The internets rise greatly increased casual encounters (especially for folks in BFE,) changing the rules.


Ah, good call then, and not just because it tends to leave the Tea Party out in the cold (though that is a good reason, too.) The more I think about it, the more it seems the Tea Partys origin was the vestiges of the anti-tax fiscal conservatives who voted for Perot in the '90s but had nowhere to go when his Reform Party splintered and collapsed once he left politics. However, the Tea Partys strong anti-Obama sentiment made it easy for the GOPs socially conservative "Obama is a Muslim atheist" wing to quickly coopt it. So the anti-tax fiscal conservative movement became a far right movement, and nothing demonstrates that better than the "anti-tax" Tea Party nominating a state TREASURER as a "real" conservative Senate candidate.

It is not that moderate Republicans are all bad and never write/vote for good policy, but that the GOP has drifted so far right over the last two or three decades "moderate Republican" is fast becoming oxymoronic everywhere but the coasts. Republicans may be thrilled about inroads in traditionally Democratic Midwest states like WI, MI and IA, but Democratic surges in traditionally VERY Republican OH and IN are more telling. The bases tendency to deride moderates as "RINOs" is stronger than ever, to the point genuine moderates face the large real risk the Freeper base replaces them during the primary (incidentally handing the general election to Democrats in any state more moderate than AL or UT.)

Of course, in terms of drafting/voting for legislation it is hard for Mourdocks non-legislative Treasurer position to give him any advantage unless one strongly disagrees with Donnellys record on US House legislation. He might have an edge based on nonpartisan/competent appointments (the extremism that beat Lugar in the primary suggests otherwise, but I do not know,) but any legislative position always gives a legislator an advantage over an executive. As always, apologies for length. ' />