KINDER: GOP BASE IS DEMORALIZED

Peter Kinder, the lieutenant governor of Missouri and a hard-eyed pol, flapped his gums at Restoration Weekend, a right-wing retreat hosted by David Horowitz, and got himself quoted in The Nation.

Too bad Kinder wasn't overheard touting his party's successes. Instead, Missouri's No. 2 said:

"The demoralization of the base is real. I hear it everywhere."

The piece by Marc Cooper notes the "fear and trembling going on among Republicans." It would be music to the ears of Democrats, but the party's too tone-deaf to hear much of anything.

Case in point: Last week the Missouri House Democratic Campaign Committee held a Mardi Gras party in Jefferson City. A note from Ronny Richardson of the state Dems encouraged people to come out and "meet influential lobbyists." Yeah, that's a helluva message to send.