Of the many surprising political developments of the past year – Obama’s plummet in the polls, the passage of ObamaCare in the face of strong popular opposition, and the revival of the Republican Party — there is none so strikingly bizarre and self-destructive as Richard Blumenthal’s defiant press conference and the Democrats’ determination to rally around him. Former DNC head Howard Dean was among the latest to defend Blumenthal from the “hatchet job,” as he calls it, which exposed his repeated lies about Vietnam military service. The entire Democratic political establishment rallies to such a figure, circles the wagons, and, given the short timeline for coming up with a replacement, seems poised to risk the Connecticut Senate seat for such a character.

But here’s the thing: it’s not simply a Connecticut issue. Savvy Republicans will soon realize that this is a national issue of integrity and ethics for the entire Democratic establishment, personifying the party’s obtuseness and contempt for the values of average Americans. I imagine that every Republican on the ballot will condemn Blumenthal and challenge his Democratic opponent to do the same. If they join in the condemnation, the Connecticut seat will be further imperiled. And if they don’t, the issue then becomes that Democrat’s lack of moral compass and out-to-lunch mentality.

Democrats have a window of time to spare themselves this debacle. Republicans are surely hoping they don’t realize just how ridiculous they seem.