HIGH HOPES? Joel Kotkin diagnoses the malaise to come.

Ultimately, waiting for Obama will not revive the blue states. Instead the best prospect lies in blue states healing themselves. Fortunately, there are some tentative signs of unrest. The same regime failure that stuck to Republicans in the wake of the Bush presidency soon may be felt by Democrats burdened with the failed legacy of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, or New York Governor David Paterson. Even Illinois, the president’s home state, could go Republican, suggests [University of Illinois] political scientist [Dick] Simpson, if the Republicans put up a viable, middle-of-the-road candidate.

That's asking a lot for a party that went from Jim Thompson to Jim Edgar to George Ryan and imported Alan Keyes to stand against some newcomer named Barack Obama.