Founded in 1999, the Club for Growth is a fiscally conservative political organization and an affiliated political action committee that raises money for candidates -- AKA Republicans -- who support a low-tax and limited-government agenda. Because the group was about to use its club dues to support Pat Toomey in the Pennsylvania Republican primary against him, Arlen Sphincter bolted to the Democratic Party. The Club had dubbed Arlen a RINO -- Republican in Name Only. Now he's a DINO. And not the urbane, smoking, drinking Rat Packer Dean Martin. Too bad. Arlen is a Democrat in name only.
The Club for Growth hates moderate Republicans. Just ask the former Republican Senator from Rhode Island, Lincoln Chafee. Maine's Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins cause the CFG to put their Club heads back in the darkening sky and howl like wolverines. It's as if those Gathering Storm zombies did too much testosterone and then set off to find their gay prey. See that chewed up bow tie by the side of the road? That's all that's left of poor old Lincoln Chafee.
Club for growth. Nothing says it better. It sounds like a Monty Python sketch. I picture those Capital One "What's in your wallet?" barbarians or those blue-faced Braveheart guys doing their creative destruction best, marauding, trampling new green shoots and thumping little baby seals. It's very Conan the Republican. Cudgel for creativity. Shillelaghs for peace.
After thirty years of an ascendant, dominant Republican Party, the club-like pendulum is swinging back from its far outer reach. In the next thirty years it will swing out wide the other way and the Democratic Party will peak then diminish. A strong moderate Republican Party might save the Democrats from themselves but not by trying tag it "the Democrat-Socialist Party," calling for secessions or tea-bagging its way into activism. Perhaps by the time the Dems are descendant again, there will be a viable third party waiting in the midpoint of the arc like a big brick wall to stop the inevitable oscillation once and for all and start a whole new movement.