I read quite a few blogs and it’s impressive how conservatives, despite being out of power, still control the debates. A lot of what is being put out by conservatives now is often incredibly stupid, but the liberal blogosphere still expends a lot of energy countering these claims. Consider all the words used to counter the absurd claim that Sotomayor is a racist. The Republicans still control the terms of the debate, while the Democrats continue to play defense; the Republicans control what we talk about, while the Democrats spend most of their time reacting. It may not be obvious, but this kind of power dynamic favors the Republicans.