Political Charlie Browns

Well, if you know you are going to lose anyway, why not try to at least get something out of it?

That, argues Peter Hannaford, is the attitude of the California Republican Party. He is right: a proposal by party leaders to divide the state's electoral votes results from a loser's mentality.

Those who think political currents are permanent simply do not pay attention to history. A generation ago, the south was solidly Democratic; and Massachusetts was once a bastion of Republicanism.

However, those who believe they are losers are likely to be such far into the future.