An angry group of oldsters, who were furious about Wall Street and a big government in cahoots with The Street, made themselves known as the Tea Party. Right-wing money came forth, the oldsters accepted it happily, they changed their tune to exclude Wall Street from their anger, and now they pretty much run the Republican Party.

An angry group of young people, who were furious about a big money-weighted marketplace and government, made themselves known as the Occupy Movement. They were too pure to accept left-wing money that wasn’t much offered anyway, and are now fading as a political force, their ideas having failed to reshape the Democratic Party’s agenda.

And then there was that recall business in Wisconsin. Tom Barrett, who was the Democrats’ candidate, could not raise money as early as his opponent because of a quirk in state law. But outside left-wing money could nonetheless have flooded into the state as soon as a recall was announced. It didn’t.

In the sports realm, I am used to backing long-running losers. I was raised in Brooklyn, New York and watched the (then) Brooklyn Dodgers win pennant after pennant, only to lose the World Series to the Yankees. I now live in Philadelphia and have watched the city’s Eagles football team manage year after year not win a Super Bowl.

Personally, I think there’s something rather noble, perhaps even endearing, about being a sports masochist. It shows persistence and dedication. Admirable qualities. Backing a party of political bunglers I find considerable less attractive.

What happened to this party? How much longer can even someone of a proven masochistic bent continue to back these duds? If a party stands for nothing but being less bad than the other party, it stands for nothing.