Conservatives should take comfort in knowing that part of the underhanded tactics we are watching establishment Republicans engage in against us is a sign of how threatened they feel and how angry they are over the gains conservatives are making. While the war inside the party is hardly over, desperate attempts to maintain control are causing the establishment to panic and make reckless decisions.

While the underhanded and unethical tactics used in Mississippi seemed to take the cake, it may have set off a trend that emboldened 100 Republicans in Kansas to endorse the Democrat running against conservative Republican incumbent Sam Brownback in the governor’s race:

Moderate Republicans have been kicked around by the tea party for years in Congress and the states.

Here in Kansas, they’re fighting back.

A moderate GOP uprising is in full swing against Gov. Sam Brownback, the fierce fiscal and social conservative whose policies led to a purge of middle-of-the-road Republicans from the Legislature early in his tenure.

In a rare and surprising act of political defiance on Tuesday, more than 100 Republicans, including current and former officeholders, endorsed Brownback’s opponent, statehouse Democratic leader Paul Davis. Polls show the challenger with a surprisingly strong shot at taking out Brownback in November.

Republican allies of the governor see the actions for what they are and characterized the endorsements as an act of desperation by embittered ex-politicians. Indeed, this is a sophisticated way of saying the 100 Republicans are actually a bunch of establishment cry babies.

All in all, distasteful and despicable as they are, these are good signs for conservatives. Means we’re winning a lot.

The Watercooler is always an open thread.