and everything we could count showed an obama edge. but the republicans sort of did something tough to themselves. they really shocked and awed their own base, because they weren't ready for this. >> well, i think it's very interesting, because i go back to that interview, i think it was ron suskind did with a member of the bush team who told him, hey, you guys live in the reality-based community but we don't have to, and was bragging about the way that they were able to create their own reality and this was such a good thing for them politically. but it turned out not to be such a good thing for them politically. they've got fox news, they've got rush, they've got people that just reflect back what they want to believe. they don't believe polls. they think that with legitimate rape, a woman's reproductive system can shut the whole thing down. science denial, reproductive denial. they've got their own parallel reality and it really -- >> i'll go to nick on one point and back to robert. nick, as you know, you cover all of these guys and these donors. all the big players in the republican party. it would seem to me, when you look at the very important relationship between these