Lightning Round: Nobody Ever Won An Election Running On "First Principles."

• Yes, it has gotten crazy out there. And Republicans refuse to denounce it because exploiting the madness helps them in the short term. This is a party that accuses Democratic presidents of indoctrinating schoolchildren with socialism, but not when Republican presidents speak to students. This is a party that financed the Bush years with deficits but when Obama tries to deal with the mess they scream bloody murder about out-of-control deficit spending. This is what they do.
  
• Fortunately, there's been no shortage of conservative critics of both the Republican Party and the broader conservative movement as presently constituted. I'm pleased cable news host Joe Scarborough is challenging the GOP's incredible tolerance for and promotion of lies, conspiracy theories, and fear-mongering, if only because cable is where a lot of this vermin thrives. This also explains why Patrick Ruffini is bound to be disappointed in his expectation that a William F. Buckley-type figure will emerge to push back against the wingnuts. The wingnuts only have currency because their beliefs are mirrored by right-wing media figures, discussed by more mainstream sources, until you get headlines like "Obama School Speech: Lesson or Propaganda?" Sensationalism triumphs, not "Buckleyite elite conservatism."
• Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) sums up the fundamental assumptions of the Republican Party: "Our liberty is from God, not the government. Our sovereignty is in our souls, not the soil. Our security is from strength, not surrender. Our prosperity is from the private sector, not the public sector. And our truths are self evident, not relative." This reads to me like an explanation of why conservatives fail at governing. If the more high-minded of the GOP spent less time refining their metaphysics perhaps they'd have more time to craft coherent public policy.
• I think Matt Yglesias says all that needs to be said about James Glassman being tapped to be the George Bush presidential library executive director: "Glassman is, of course, better known to bloggers who like to make fun of know-nothing conservatives as the author of the late nineties bestseller Dow 36,000. I think that’s the kind of detachment from reality you need to dedicate your life to bolstering the reputation of the Bush administration."
• Remainders: A draft of actual Obamacare is in the works; Politico discovers that "top Republicans" have an active fantasy life regarding potential 2012 presidential candidates; and Michele Bachmann overestimates her relevance.

--Mori Dinauer