BOTH MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES have their own pet rationalizations for defeat at the polls. When Republicans lose, they invariably complain that the system is rigged against them. Defeat is blamed on corrupt city-machine politics, special-interest money, gerrymandered districts, a changing demographic tide or–have you heard this one?–the liberal mainstream media.

Democrats, on the other hand, believe they lose because they don’t fight hard or dirty enough. As Susan Estrich wrote recently: “You have to fight fire with fire, mud with mud, dirt with dirt. The trouble with Democrats, traditionally, is that we’re not mean enough.”