The coming liberal concensus?

David Hirsanyi:

For perhaps the first time in American history, seemingly rational adults will sit down and spend significant time dissecting the off-off-year elections in Virginia, New Jersey, and in the much-discussed New York 23rd Congressional District.

Naturally, a consensus will emerge:

The angry-hard-right-radical-insane (etc.) conservative base has hijacked the Republican Party, and in the process, further alienated a beleaguered nation — a nation that is apparently hankering for tripling deficits and government takeovers of the health care, energy, banking and car industries.

...

So how is it, some wondered, that a recent Gallup poll claims that "conservative" remains the dominant ideological group in this nation — with between 39 percent and 41 percent voters identifying themselves as either "very conservative" or "conservative"?

The percentage of independents describing their views as "conservative" has also grown to 35 percent from 29 percent in just one year.

What does it mean to be conservative these days? I mean, "conservative" happens to be the default self- identifying ideological designation of nearly every Republican politician (and some Democrats, too) — so in Washington, at least, we know it means very little.

...

There is more passion among conservatives these days. These are not irrational people, but they do reject the evils of liberalism and are become eager to oppose them where ever they find them and in which ever party they find them.