Another Carter Parallel?

As the press announces the Republican Party officially dead, just because of Arlen Specter's defection, I would point out that the last time either party had a fillibuster-proof majority was in the 95th Congress

-- that's right, the first two years of Jimmy Carter's term.

Anyone care to remember what happened to the Senate Democrats in 1980? Seems to me there was a presidential election that year . . .

Oh, and there's one more big difference. Back then, Republicans only had 143 members in the House. Now, there are 198.

No one's saying that it's all smooth sailing ahead for the GOP. It isn't. But all the overblown talk about the demise of the Republicans is foolish -- and as overblown as the talk in recent years of the pending irrelevance of the Democrats.