... that this iteration of the republican party has played out? We libs have believed for at least two decades that the GOP was hijacked by morally bankrupt, neoconservative psychos bent on re-shaping the US into a corporate dominated combination of ancient Rome, Nazi Germany, Rollerball (the original with James Caan) and Orwell's 1984. Hillary mistakenly called it the "vast right wing conspiracy", but in reality it was a relatively small group of wealthy, determined and organized propaganda specialists who brilliantly used the one-way media to create the illusion of a sustained movement of hard core conservatives "taking their country back". These guys were in charge, and really were capable of creating their own reality.
When the monster turned on them and spawned the Tea Party, they were slow to recognize the danger of a real movement - one they didn't really control - growing out of their astroturf. Really crazy - I mean REALLY crazy - people rode the wave into local, state and national office, and now they are lending their own brand of lunacy to governmental decisions. Vaginal probes? Defining life at conception? Drug testing for welfare recipients? Busting unions in blue collar jurisdictions? Demonizing teachers?
Now, the super red will be ok with all that, or will be so deeply indoctrinated that they won't be able to see it for what it is. But I think most ordinary, busy, otherwise decent people who usually vote republican - the average conservatives - have finally looked up and said "WTF? ... This isn't my father's GOP anymore."
I don't necessarily think the Red machine is dead. It is too well funded to ever completely die. But I think it will have to re-group and re-form - rising like a drone shaped sphinx from the ashes, maybe? Yikes.