Part of the game in national politics, especially among Democrats and their supporters, is to make running for national office such a horrifying prospect that people will not want to do it.

Two examples -- first, let's look at Marco Rubio, the young Florida senator who is already apparently looking at 2016. He talks to GQ and hilarity ensues:

 

GQ: How old do you think the Earth is?

Marco Rubio: I’m not a scientist, man. I can tell you what recorded history says, I can tell you what the Bible says, but I think that’s a dispute amongst theologians and I think it has nothing to do with the gross domestic product or economic growth of the United States. I think the age of the universe has zero to do with how our economy is going to grow. I’m not a scientist. I don’t think I’m qualified to answer a question like that. At the end of the day, I think there are multiple theories out there on how the universe was created and I think this is a country where people should have the opportunity to teach them all. I think parents should be able to teach their kids what their faith says, what science says. Whether the Earth was created in 7 days, or 7 actual eras, I’m not sure we’ll ever be able to answer that. It’s one of the great mysteries.

Which gets boiled down to:

Andrew Kaczynski@BuzzFeedAndrew<br< a="">>RT @felixsalmon: GQ: "How old do you think the Earth is?" Marco Rubio: "I'm not a scientist, man. That's a dispute amongst theologians.”

Nice. Meanwhile, we learn the following from Kevin Drum at Mother Jones (via Althouse):

Poor Mitt. Conservatives never liked him in the first place, so he tried hard to say all the things they wanted him to say. But once he lost, he was an instant pariah. He was saying the stuff they wanted him to say during a campaign, not realizing that the rules had changed. Once the campaign was over, that exact same stuff was a rather too blunt admission of what conservatives believe. He was betraying the cause, not helping it. The price he'll pay is a banishment from the conservative movement even more thorough than George Bush's. Conservatives are not kind to their losers.

The title of Drum's piece? Mitt Romney is Now Officially the Most Hated Man in America.

We'll set aside what Drum said, which is hardly true for most conservatives I know. What conservatives actually think really doesn't matter, of course. The larger message is this: it's just a lot easier for conservatives if they just shut up, apparently.

Cross-posted and comments welcome at Mr. Dilettante's Neighborhood.