THE WALL STREET JOURNAL:

What has core Republican voters agitated is exactly what we’ve been warning about for months. Republicans are acting as if they are the party of incumbency and big government. The federal budget is now almost 40% larger than it was five years ago–thanks to a budget process rigged for spending by the Democrats in 1974 that the GOP hasn’t changed, and to such embarrassments as a highway bill with an average of four pork barrel projects for every Congressional district in America.

Republicans still have eight months to try for redemption with the voters who put them in charge. But the clock is ticking. Today’s vote will tell a lot about whether the process starts now–or ever.

Indeed.