I largely agree, and would only add that it DID take the Dems' A-game to kick the Repubs' asses in the 50's and 60's. Said A-game was provided by LBJ, who as both Senator and President understood how to simply get stuff done in Congress better than anyone in history; and by the JFK team which managed (1) to avoid any significant political blowback from one of the most embarrassing foreign policy screw-ups in history (the Bay of Pigs) and (2) NOT to have the candidate with the debate make-up issue.