Grand Unified Theory of Green Lanternism

Eric Cantor is, believe it or not, making sense:

But somewhere along the road, a number of voices on the right began demanding that the Republican Congress not only block Mr. Obama’s agenda but enact a reversal of his policies. They took to the airwaves and the Internet and pronounced that congressional Republicans could undo the president’s agenda — with him still in office, mind you — and enact into law a conservative vision for government, without compromise.

Strangely, according to these voices, the only reason that was not occurring had nothing to do with the fact that the president was unlikely to repeal his own laws, or that under the Constitution, absent the assent of the president or two-thirds of both houses of Congress, you cannot make law. The problem was a lack of will on the part of congressional Republican leaders.

The rest is also worth reading. Cantor makes a good case that the Green Lantern Theory of Governance has resulted not simply in the deep annoyance of people who know better, but in the failure of the GOP to make achievable gains on its key policy preferences. It’s a pretty compelling case, and one that Democrats would be well-advised to keep in mind.