Question for today: If the GOP — the Senate GOP that is, we have yet to see what Bush will do — becomes the enemy of the auto industry, doesn’t that freeze the party out of the Frost Belt for some time to come?

And, from a libertarian perspective, isn’t that good news?

If the GOP forecloses a South-Plains-Industrial-Midwest strategy (call it the Douthat strategy), based on social conservatism and economic populism, doesn’t that force it back toward a South-West strategy (call it the Sager strategy), based on economic liberty and cultural federalism?

(Of course, in the near term, it could just mean losing the West, Northeast, and Industrial Midwest. And, thus, just flat-out losing — some might also call this the Sager strategy, or Sagerism.)