The Pavlov Party

Larison is depressed:

With all respect to Gov. Palin, who delivered an effective stemwinder that had a number of amusing lines in it, the conditioned responses that conservatives are having to Palin’s speech is frankly depressing.  For all of their complaints and criticisms about McCain’s deviations, conservatives are now falling into line even more pathetically than usual.  Seeing this display, I am tempted to think that even Giuliani could have won the nomination, chosen a similar running mate and nothing would have changed.

They are a religious and cultural identity party, primed to rally to anything their leaders say and question nothing. That's why they're so dangerous.

They can do anything and defend it - invade a country on false pretenses, grind the military into extreme danger, trash the Geneva Conventions, expand government at a record pace, threaten war with Iran and Russia - and still say with a straight face that they are the party of national security, fiscal restraint, foreign policy wisdom and military pride. It doesn't matter what they do; these people believe in this cause because it is about God and America and their own identity. And when you have a major political party constructed like that, they can do anything. And they have.