Chickens, coming home, and roosting

I hate the cliche "the chicken has come home to roost," but it applies here. Hugh Hewitt takes a look at a fundraising gap between the National Republican Senate Campaign and the DemocraticSenatatorial Campaign Committee. The gap is $20.5 million to $9.1 million. Hewitt:

But grassroots disgust with the Gang of 14 in the spring, and now the Alito delay, the Kavanaugh deep freeze, and last week's meltdown over the Warner Amendment have crippled efforts to rally enthusiasm behind the 2006 Senate races in which the GOP holds an opening edge because of the map.

I can't say with certainty that the gap is due to the ham handed politics of Republicans this year, but it certainly is the logical jump. I know that I have no desire to donate to the Senate Republicans, and why should I? They've been inept, and I have no desire to support their ineptness. The House Republicans made a big stride in regaining the confidence of conservative Republicans last week, and they need to continue to do so. In the Senate, Bill Frist needs to do the same and quickly, because the 2006 campaigns start now. While this deficit isn't the end of the world (The RNC still has more cash on hand than the DNC), it is an indicator that Republicans may have taken the starch out of their conservative base, and they need that base to win elections.