The election will not be a referendum on Obama alone. It will be a referendum on Ryan's budget. By moving to the Middle Obama has pushed the entire GOP caucus to the extreme right. How has he done it? By giving ground and forcing them either to agree to their own moderate plans or continuing to try to flush the economy down the toilet so that they can make Obama look bad to win in 2012.

I don't know if even staunch Foxwashed people like DougR can vote for a plan to make Medicare a voucher program with strict financial limits. I might have some respect for Doug if he does. But I suspect all of his backbone and principle is in his talk and that he won't back it with his vote if his own wallet is targeted by corporatist cuts. I saw an ad from AARP today, condemning GOP proposals. If the GOP loses any perceptible percentage of the over 60 vote, the tide could turn heavily back to the Democrats in 2012.