Someone has finally attempted to explain to us non-residents of the 48th state just how and why it has shifted so far to the right politically that it has nearly shot itself in the foot economically several times over the past few years.

In a weird way, it was good intentions that did it, says James Oliphant at National Journal. How so?

The clean-elections law was supposed to minimize the influence of big business and outside groups. Term limits were intended to rein in so-called professional politicians.

The trouble with the clean elections plan was that it forbade candidates from accepting any private money at all and compensated for that by lowering the bar for getting public money to $1,000 made up of 200 $5 contributions. As you can imagine, a whole lot of people decided they were perfectly competent to run for the state Legislature.

The measure benefited fringe candidates who had a harder time raising money through traditional means like PACs and corporate money—and it gave them enough support to survive against a better-funded challenger, particularly in GOP primaries.

As to term limits, they forced long-time legislators out and made room for the fringe people who now had a way in because of the public financing.

And what a fringe it has been! It’s given the state SB 1070, the “show your papers” law of 2010, and more recently SB 1062, the bill which would have exempted any business from laws against discrimination if it felt its right to exercise its religion was burdened by those laws.

The whole thing is fascinating, particularly for those of us who have lived in that beautiful place and have been asking ourselves “what the hell is going on there these days?”