The Best and the Rightest

Republicans began the year in worse shape than they’d been in any time since the 1970s. Conservatives and libertarians, the party’s traditional base, were angry and alienated, swearing that the mistakes of George W. Bush’s failed presidency would never be repeated. By the end of 2009, there had been a massive power shift from the leadership of the movement to its activists, from Washington to places like Watertown, N.Y., and Andrew Breitbart’s Los Angeles basement office.

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Stop back tomorrow for “Ten Conservatives to Watch in 2010.”