Eric Rauchway has a piece up at The New Republic suggesting that Republicans, historically, aren't that good at governance.

As they say on Wall Street, past performance is no guarantee of future earnings, but it's not implausible to project a new, long-lasting Democratic coalition arising out of these Republican missteps--one that might, if history is any guide, eventually doom itself by overreaching.

This is where Joel and I will be blogging the donnybrook in Boca Raton.

Please add your comments below. Let's have a conversation.

Ben 8:40 p.m.: Never mind Chris Matthews and the other pundits... what did you think?

Ben 8:39 p.m.: McCain allayed some of my fear and distrust. I'm not sure I would vote for him. But I dislike him less.

Joel and I will be live-blogging tonight's Democratic debate right here on my blog, tonight at 6 p.m. PST. Don a smoking jacket, pour a brandy, snuggle up to the warmth of your laptop, and take in the carnage with us.