One big reason Republicans win? They cheat:

"In late 1999, the Choctaw paid ATR $325,000. In a 2005 interview with The Boston Globe, Norquist said that ATR had sent $300,000 of that $325,000 to Citizens Against Legalized Lottery (CALL). Norquist explained that he sent the money to CALL because the Tribe wanted to block gambling competition in Alabama. Out of the Choctaw’s $325,000, ATR apparently kept $25,000 for its services. According to Rogers, Norquist demanded that he receive a management fee for letting ATR be used as a conduit."

That's from the the McCain Report, an investigation into Jack Abramoff's thoroughly crooked dealings with Native American gambling interests. The two parties mentioned here are GOP superconnector Grover Norquist, and Christian Conservative wunderkid Ralph Reed. The exposure of all the various fixes will likely cause many heads to roll.

And seriously, check out the brass fucking balls on Grover, demanding a cut of that money he was laundering for good old Ralph! Seems like on their end of the movement everyone gets a slice.

It's interesting that this report comes from Republican John McCain, but it makes sense. McCain doesn't have much to loose by burning down Ralph Reed and Grover Norquest. There's no real public political cost to exposing other people's corruption.

Still, some might ask, isn't it a faux pas for a 2008 presumtive presidential nominee to backstab two starting players on the movement all-star team? Probably, but in this case it's smart politics. Reed and Norquist would almost certainly support some other nominee than McCain in the upcoming primary season. He's taking out the competition

Also, revenge is sweet:

In 2000, Reed was a consultant and senior advisor to Bush-Cheney 2000, and was widely credited with crafting Bush’s victory over Senator John McCain (R-AZ) in the intensely negative South Carolina primary

Reed was “paid to develop the no-holds-barred -- and winning -- South Carolina primary campaign strategy for Bush against Sen. John McCain, which included phone banks branding McCain as untrustworthy on abortion and for being a little too cozy with gays."

Norquist too:

[Americans for Taxpayer Reform] also funded ads during the 2000 Republican presidential primaries questioning the political agenda of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz), and criticizing his push for a campaign finance reform bill. The ad claimed that McCain, who was opposing George W. Bush in the primaries, wanted to make taxpayers pay for political campaigns. The ad also stated that conservative leaders had called McCain's agenda "dangerous, reckless and dishonest.” New Hampshire's GOP chairman called the ads "a disgrace" and a "mischaracterization of John McCain's record and views."

By the way, that "no-holds-barred" primary also included push polling asking questions like, "would you be more likely or less likely to vote for John McCain for president if you knew he had fathered an illegitimate black child?" Payback's a bitch, but this is a guy who was in a POW camp for years. You think he was just going to let you get away with that shit?

McCain is one of the most electable Republicans out there, and he's probably one of the best positioned to benefit from the implosion of the GOP establishment. Interesting to see how the wave of scandal will change the inside-baseball playing field.