Quiters!

Two very notable exits, with San Fransisco Mayor Gavin Newson dropping out of the California Governor's race, and the moderate GOP candidate in the NY-23 also giving up the ghost.

Newson I'm pretty disappointed in. The other leading Democratic governor candidate is Jerry Brown, and I was looking forward to a good old verses new, great hair verses no hair primary match-up. I've got real doubts about Brown, and now it looks like we are stuck with him.

Republican Dede Scozzafava's exit is the latest chapter in the GOP morality play I've been keeping an eye on lately.

The lesson of this play is pretty simple: Do not be even the slightest bit moderate in today's GOP. Scozzafava was mostly conservative with just a few heresies, like gay rights and card check, but that was enough for a full blown right-wing mobilization. And in a conservative district, the right can win. But the Country is not a conservative district in up-state New York. The tea party wackos will not beat Obama and will not stop health care reform, but they may just succeed in driving the few remaining moderates from the GOP. Which makes for a very united party. The GOP doesn't have to worry about moderates going rogue and fouling up legislation. But it also makes for a very small party.

UPDATE: Wow. Scozzafava just endorsed the Democrat in the race. To be clear, the official GOP nominee just endorsed the official Democratic nominee in a House special election three day before election day. That's insane.