I call this the No Caucus vs the Yes Caucus. Unlike sportsball and war, defending the political status quo is always easier. Building consensus in the Yes Cauc

I call this the No Caucus vs the Yes Caucus. Unlike sportsball and war, defending the political status quo is always easier. Building consensus in the Yes Caucus is very hard. Agree that something must be done. Then herd the kittens. Then buy off all the hostage takers and defectors. Then the caucus dissolves for every little victory (little potential for building momentum). Etc. Whereas the members of the No Caucus only need to agree on "No." It's unfortunate, or least weird, that "right" and "left" have been associated with establishment and reform. What ever one's opinion of movement Conservatives, 60 years ago they were the reformers, challenging the status quo. They succeeded. And now they're playing defense, with all the inherit advantages.