Krugman gets it

Krugman's column is great. Too bad you have to pay for it. Crooks and Liars has some text:

The point is that those who cling to the belief that politics can be conducted in terms of people rather than parties — a group that also includes would-be centrist Democrats like Joe Lieberman and many members of the punditocracy — are kidding themselves.

The fact is that in 1994, the year when radical Republicans took control both of Congress and of their own party, things fell apart, and the center did not hold. Now we’re living in an age of one-letter politics, in which a politician’s partisan affiliation is almost always far more important than his or her personal beliefs. And those who refuse to recognize this reality end up being useful idiots for those, like President Bush, who have been consistently ruthless in their partisanship.

Crooks and Liars adds:

We can only hope progressive organizations who don’t mind endorsing less-conservative Republicans (Sierra Club and NARAL, we’re looking at you) are listening.

I add my wholehearted agreement.

UPDATE: Economist's View has a response from the Sierra Club and some additional words from Krugman on the subject:

The point, instead, is about the nature of the political environment. Take the six most liberal Republican senators, and replace them with Democrats who, as individuals, are considerably more conservative; the result would still be a dramatic shift of the political scene to the left. Take the 16 most liberal Republican members of the House and replace them with conservative Dems, and we'd be living in a transformed political universe. Conservative organizations seem to understand this; many liberal groups apparently don't.