The Democrats have been colossal failures in producing anything remotely like a decent governing principle. They have run against market principles since the very start of the twentieth century and have been the party of redistribution during the whole period. They were also the party of segregation which gave them a solid south until the 1970s and then became the inheritors of the various forms of ethnic vote, basing their appeal on huge welfare payments that keep millions out of any serious need to work for a living. And finally, and by no means the least of the differences, has been the Democrat role in politicising the sexual revolution, with the only freedom Democrats absolutely stand for is the right to have sexual relations without any state restrictions. Combined with no-fault divorce, it is the policy of full sexual irresponsibility with no serious commitment required.

The result is a constituency with no core set of beliefs but which manages to pull together winning coalitions during elections as much as it ruins the nation. The actual indifference of Democrats to the welfare of those who vote for it is hidden behind a pretence of concern. But who cares? Just pass over the loot.

Obama was the epitome of all of this, and reliably. The left expects its leaders to lie about things that would cost too many votes to say out loud so they understood exactly what Obama really stood for.

But then there was the Obola virus and all was blown away.

It was not so much the probability of an epidemic which was small, but the sheer negligence finally got to people. It’s one thing to get an Obamaphone, it is quite another to have your life put at risk by a lackadaisical approach to public health. Everyone could personalise the problem. No one could be certain that they were safe. And they wanted the government to do everything in its power to reduce the risk.

But while the issue is ephemeral, the possibility that the change is indelible is genuine. You can depend on the Democrats to keep you poor, exploited and ground down by circumstance. They not only cause these problems, they benefit from the problems they cause and make worse. People are beginning to understand.

We shall see. But the death of the welfarist policies that are sinking the US is an outcome surely to be hoped for. It turns out that the greatest danger to any politician is to have Obama on your side (see Morsi for Exhibit A). He is the worst carrier of the Obola virus which hopefully is now under control, being eradicated and quarantined to a few large-city locations on the east and west coast of the US.