Tonight is a rare "super moon" lunar eclipse, in which a blood red moon will cast its vermilion shadow on North America and Washington D.C., presumably bathing the Capitol Building in blood. And why not? House Speaker John A. Boehner's resignation forebodes an even nastier fight over defunding Planned Parenthood, or shutting down the government, than before.
It's difficult to remember when one party has been riven by such an intense level of in-house animosity. It is so hard to get House speakers to resign willingly (the last being Tip O'Neill in 1987) that it is almost as rare as that supermoon eclipse. And therefore, Boehner must have felt pressed remarkably hard to leave. Perhaps next the Republicans will be attacking each other with silver-headed canes, as South Carolina Representative Preston Brooks did to Senator Charles Sumner in 1856. Or maybe we should bring back the duel--plenty of congressmen back in the early days used to line up to take potshots--lead ones,that is--at each other.
What does this presage for the presidential contest? Hard to say. I believe, against many pundits, that there is room for a Republican moderate to take a firm stand (he will be backed by the polls, which show that most people abhor the type of brinkmanship politics being played by the Republican right) in favor of principled compromise. 'Firm stand' being the key phrase. In presidential elections, it is all about picking your enemy and never wavering, no matter how much blood gets spilled.
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