New York's 23 district race is wonk stuff--invisible to most American voters, but of deep concern by political insiders and close-readers fighting for...fighting for what exactly?

The answer to that says a lot about what is going on in Republican politics these days. Newt Gingrich, who supposes the ultra-liberal Republican nominee, is deeply upset by mainstream Republican support for Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman. Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty and others have rejected Dede Scozzafava and put their weight behind Hoffman.

"This idea that we're suddenly going to establish litmus tests and all across the country we're going to purge the party of anybody who doesn't agree with us 100 percent; that guarantees Obama's reelection, that guarantees Pelosi as Speaker-for-life," he told Fox News last night.

Its not really an issue of power over principle, but about who holds the power.

Democrats considered the same question, and ran blue-dog candidates all over the country. Now, with absolute and total power in their greedy little socialist hands, Democrats can't seem to pass marquee legislation, not because of Republican obstructionism, but family squabbling!

So the question suggests itself--do Democrats, with allegedly filibuster-proof majorities, really have the kind of political power that their Congressional majorities and possession of the White House suggest? Sure, its great for Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Barack Obama--they get nice offices, large staffs and fresh flowers every day, but ultimately its a frustrating and depressing scenario for their left-wing base who've been blocked from the promised rape and pillage yet again by the niggling little problem of "no mandate". It is after all, a big leap between "hope and change" and government run health-care.

What Gingrich is playing for is called a coalition government in Westminster parliamentary tradition, and if your not familiar with how that works--well, it doesn't. Coalition governments are placeholders until one party or another can create a true majority and thus a true mandate. Palin and Pawlenty seem to understand that real political power for the Republican party can only come by actually reflecting the will of the majority of the American people. You can't get that by running Republican-in-name-only candidates.

Gingrich seems to have forgotten something Margaret Thatcher said.

"First you win the argument, then you win the vote."

You can't win an argument with people who don't believe in your cause.