Stuart Rothenberg, writing in Roll Call, wonders if the dominance of the GOP establishment in presidential politics might be coming to an end. Rothenberg looks at every race since 1952, pointing out that in all but two nomination contests, conservatives were shut out.  Those two races – Goldwater's insurgent campaign of 1964 and Reagan's run in 1980 – stand out as the only victories by a candidate of the right in more than 60 years. Some candidates like Mitt Romney have tried to run as conservatives but failed to attract much support.  But the litany of establishment winners – Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Bush 41, Dole, Bush 43, McCain, and Romney – has frustrated the right.  Until now. So, as weak as McCain’s early campaign was and as uncomfortable as some in the party establishment were with the idea of him as the nominee, the GOP field did not offer a strong alternative. Four years later, Romney became the...(Read Full Post)