It’s been fun to watch the Republican debates.  It really has.  Stars are rising and falling almost daily.  Michele Bachmann has all but thrown in the towel, Rick Perry has managed to alienate most of his base, nobody seems terribly enchanted with Mitt Romney, Ron Paul remains ever the fringe candidate, and now the darling of the party seems to be Herman Cain.

Not that there’s any way it can last.  As every satirist in the country has noted, neither Reagan nor Jesus could win with the Tea Party.

And that attitude seems to be making progressives feel pretty comfortable.

It shouldn’t.

Progressives, liberals, America-hating-Socialists, whatever you want to call them… we’re pretty much idealists.  The average Democrat has more education than the average Republican.  So those more educated idealists don’t vote for someone they don’t completely agree with.

The Republican base, including the Tea Party, has no such qualms.  They’re a get-out-the-vote MACHINE.  They could run a lump of coal for their candidate (it would probably be an improvement) and then come out of the woodwork to vote for it.

So liberals, commies, progressives… stop celebrating.  No matter how much the Tea Partiers boo their guys (or gal) in the debates, they’ll still vote.  Time for pinkos to come together, and come to grips with making concessions.  Because no matter how disenchanted you might be with Obama, ask yourself… “Wouldn’t ANY of the Republican candidates be worse?”