There has been some talk around the political analysis circles lately, and the Czar is reluctant to admit he agrees with all of it. All of it, unfortunately.

Yes, the Czar agrees that the midterm elections will be disastrous for the Democrats, and that Republicans will win the Senate. In fact, the election may be another 2010-level blowout. The Czar cannot recall the last time back-to-back midterms were blowouts, which showcases what an awful president we have. Bottom line is that America seems to be genuinely sorry they voted for Barack Obama’s re-election. Fair enough.

But the Czar also agrees that Republicans will totally squander this victory into more posturing and missteps. Look, the Czar is the first autocrat who will tell you that these stories of Republican infighting between squishy moderates and venom-spewing Tea Partiers is largely a media invention designed to discourage voters from leaning Republican. But the national-level Republican party is so inbred now that a more accurate analogy are the blind banjo duelers from Deliverance, as well as possibly the pig farmers from said movie.

Further, the Czar notes that conservative Republican politics is all the rage on the state level. Blue states are running out of your money, fast, and red states are openly challenging the blue states to account for it. Everyone in either party knows that if you really want successful government, you need to look to Texas and Wisconsin long before you consider Illinois and New York. There are, incidentally, no blue-run states that can claim economic success right now and back it up with anything approaching a fact.

Eventually, Americans will notice this on a larger level; but until they do—unless they do—the national Republican party is not going to matter much. Until and unless America starts dumping most of the inbred pickers out of DC (from both parties), not much will change there. Senators and representatives are comfortable with their limos and lunches, and lobbyists are too happy to swing by the house on Saturday and drop off some promotional Ping clubs for the kids. When a horde of successful state Republicans get elected to displace them, the chaos will be horrific for DC…and generally great for the country. Yes, it happened before.

Alas, this will not happen in time for 2016. Democrats have never been weaker going into a presidential election: Carter was a foreign policy mastermind compared to the utterly bankrupt Hillary Clinton, and Walter Mondale was a genius compared to the village idiot Joe Biden. Know why the media isn’t informing you about a third choice for president? There isn’t one.

Likewise, Republicans have never been stronger. There’s a general popular sense that Mitt Romney was right about everything. Rand Paul and Ted Cruz are firing up voters and starting to monitor the crap that comes out of their mouths. Numerous other possible candidates are teasing the media, drawing negative attention away from Paul and Cruz. Younger voters are starting to look at the GOP, and the War on Women ploy has been exposed for what it was.

And yes, the Czar agrees with most analysts who agree the GOP will blow this opportunity big time in 2016. While there may not be this massive secret civil war going on, the party lacks cohesion. There are, if anything, too many quarterbacks. Soiled brands like John McCain and Lindsay Graham are souring the public.

The only thing that can save the Republicans in 2016 is if people get so fed up with Democrats, and so enamored with their state Republicans, that they pull the levers for the Republican candidates all the way down. It’s certainly possible, but the Czar doubts it.

And in 2020, if there are still elections, the only thing that will save the Republicans—maybe the country—is the inevitable reality that the Democrats’ candidate pool becomes so shallow that they can no longer field a competent national candidate. But we’re already there, considering Clinton and Biden. Until the state success stories become the basis of the national Republican party’s platform, not much gonna change.

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.