Day of Reckoning

Today, we get what many are considering a preview of the upcoming fall midterm elections -- and an acid test of the strength of the Tea Party, not to mention progressive Democrats' ability to push their party further to the left.

The Washington punditry -- which I try to avoid, whenever possible -- has it that the primaries in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Arkansas and Pennsylvania all are bellwethers that can tell us whether voter discontent will help drive incumbents out of office, as well as further calcify the already rigid red-blue divide.  Watch out, they tell us, for angry hordes storming the ballot box to deliver a message about rising deficits, taxpayer bailouts and a negative referendum on the not-so-new-anymore Obama administration.

Or something.

Rachel Maddow, one of my go-to sources, validates something I've always long suspected: the Beltway punditocracy is a collective ass. Well, maybe not an ass, but certainly not thinking very broadly or creatively about this whole midterm-election thing.

Her key to understanding today's election results:  turnout.  Take it away, Rachel!