To Jonah’s point: The Republicans actually put out some pretty good ideas and stood firm against the junk that was thrown at them for several weeks. I have spoken night after night about the Republican failures in the past, but I don’t see it this time. I have read lots of good ideas in that respect, including from Eric Cantor and Paul Ryan. The criticism against them this time, that they failed to embrace the ideas of certain columnists and bloggers, may annoy the columnists and the bloggers who propose them but that doesn’t mean they have not developed a foundation from which they can make future progress. I saw a different GOP last week, smarter and more strategic, which should serve them well in “the long fight.” As for the condemnation being a “distraction,” which was my point, I suppose I could have used the word “irrelevant” rather than “distraction” for, in fact, as best as I can tell, they are irrelevant.