An interesting theory, from a reader:

Hi Jonah,
Although I personally am more left than right (but not loonily so), I read the corner regularly because I respect (most) of the participants as intellectually honest individuals and I enjoy the intelligence of the discourse, which isn’t really duplicated consistently in any other online forum. However, I have noticed in recent months that the degree of superciliousness, triviality, and pop-culture fluffiness in corner postings is directly proportional to the degree of problems and difficulties the GOP is facing. Last month, things were going well for the right, and the corner was immersed in a deeply engaging debate about the intellectual bona fides of contemporary conservatism. This week, all hell is breaking loose, and every one is suddenly enthralled with the Mets, country music, and MoDo’s man problems. Is there an explicit ostrich policy guiding the content of corner postings, or is it just an interesting, shared psychosocial tendency to ignore or minimize bad tidings?

Me: Chaka! Fire up the super-computer and tell me if this guy is right. Cross index Republican political fortunes with mentions of Geena Davis, Mendoza and Duran-Duran. Have it for me by lunch.