THE HISTORICAL MOMENT? I think I agree with about half of Ezra�s post below. Just as the Democrats were purged of their southern roots in 1994, so too might an overdue regional realignment visit the northeast in 2006. If, for example, voters in Connecticut remove Chris Shays, Rob Simmons, and Nancy Johnson from office, then November 2006 could be the moment that future historians cite as when the bluing of blue America caught up with the reddening of the red states. To be sure, there are more congressional districts in the south than in the northeast, so I tend to agree with Ezra that it is still a stretch to think that we�ll hear the words �Speaker Pelosi� in November. Still, if nutmeggers purge themselves of congressional Republicans, and if Rhode Islanders dump Lincoln Chafee, then an historical moment this will be: The New Englandization of the Democratic party will all be all but complete.
--Mark Leon Goldberg
