An e-mailer:

I am a lifelong Republican who worked on Capitol Hill in the early 90′s (NRSC under Gramm). Also worked on the Thornburgh/Wofford Senate race in ‘91. What I am hearing now is in a way frighteningly similar to that race. When it became obvious that Wofford was pulling ahead, we all convinced ourselves that once the “hardcore” base realized that Wofford might actually win, they’d be frightened into voting for Thornburgh, since their antipathy towards him would be outweighed by the prospect of a hard Left guy like Wofford. It didn’t happen, and it was a real lesson, one that people seem to have forgotten. Right or wrong, the same thing will be repeated this November – the base just isn’t going to come out and “hold their noses” and vote Republican. People don’t think that way when they vote….they aren’t running strategic “what if” scenarios in their heads.