Because seeking power for power’s sake, and saying whatever you need to say to achieve that, is no way to ingratiate yourself to the electorate.

For the past eight years, we have had a Republican Party that was neither excessively conservative nor too moderate, but a party that employed no principles to speak of — unless securing power for power’s sake is now a creed.

After all, what exactly did Republican candidate John McCain stand for? The GOP (and independents) conferred the mantle of leadership to a media darling and longtime Senate insider who based his entire campaign on fighting the entrenched establishment and media.

It was almost satirical. McCain was the most “moderate” candidate Republicans could unearth — in effect a non-pick of a lethargic party — and they were thumped, while Democrats nominated their most liberal candidate in history.

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