We’ve been very leery of the situation at Bundy Ranch for the beginning, for understandable reasons. We finally began covering it because of the involvement of militia units moving towards the ranch when a possible conflict seemed imminent, something on the order of a second Battle of Athens.

Our most recent substantive post was concerned with the cancerous nature of government that the standoff exposed. Cliven Bundy himself is merely a catalyst—or perhaps a cattle-ist (stop me before I pun again)—exposing the government as a toxic entity seemingly eager to use force against recalcitrant citizens.

We’ve kept an eye on the situation outside of Bunkerville, Nevada, because the continuing presence of militiamen on Bundy’s Ranch and the promises of Harry Reid that the government must prevail and put Bundy in his place.

Bundy had managed to generate some public support from politicians due to his seeming David v. Goliath stance.

He’s now burned most of that away in a racist rant that has driven away Senators Rand Paul, Dean Heller, and others, as shown below.

Our compatriots at Hot Air are tracking the fallout.

Bundy’s comments were indefensible. People didn’t come to his ranch to support a western version of Robert Byrd. This rant—which he later reiterated on a radio show—have lost him his most formidable political allies, and his base of support.

I suspect that most of Bundy’s militia supporters won’t immediately leave because they are there against government abuse of power, not for Cliven Bundy’s personal rants. They might stay for a short while more as a message to the government. I suspect most will pull out within two weeks.

When the BLM returns—and they will—the end of Bundy Ranch will come far more quietly than most of us had envisioned.

The federal government will win the battle against Cliven Bundy in a forfeit. It hardly means that the war against grotesque government abuse of power is over.