The Republicans Reel

But some of them seem to understand how badly they are being out-maneuvered and how skewiff their compass is:

"With the political moment, it's how can you find the one thing that gives you the momentary upper hand in terms of the coverage for the next six hours -- as opposed to engaging the electorate in creating a structural change in their opinion on which party is better able to handle an issue."

And so Obama wins a victory that is always elusive in politics: getting your opposition to change on your terms. If that helps Republicans actually develop policy proposals and engage the modern world as it is, Obama will help the right as well.