The Suicide of the GOP

You can't say I didn't warn them. You can't say I didn't explain the opportunity before them. You can't say I didn't tell them what they could do to take back the Congress as soon as 2010.

But it doesn't appear the Republicans will heed the call.

They are being seduced, one by one, by President Obama and the Democratic leadership. They are being co-opted — not all of them, of course, but just enough to spread the blame for what is the inevitable failure of Democratic policies, particularly on the economy.

The latest is Judd Gregg, Republican senator from New Hampshire, who has agreed to be Obama's commerce secretary. This is a guy, by the way, who was previously on record as supporting the abolition of the Commerce Department. And that would be the right thing to do. We should eliminate the Commerce Department and most of the other departments operating unconstitutionally in America today.

Gregg sold out cheap. He took the job after getting the assurance he could name his successor in the Senate. Why is this a bad thing to do? What's wrong with Republicans cooperating with the Obama administration?

For starters, there's a reason for having more than one party in America. Bipartisanship sounds nice. But, especially in times like these, when one party dominates the executive and legislative branches of government, and when that one party is all but suspending the Constitution and exceeding the authority given to the federal government, the minority party needs to stand up for principle and for the rule of law.

Secondly, when those conditions exist, the minority party has a great opportunity to get back into power by allowing — shall we say — nature to take its course. Let me go over that one, again.

The policies of Obama and the Democrat-dominated Congress are going to fail.

They are going to be unsuccessful because they have been tried many times in the past and always fail. Those policies — whether you call them "bailouts" or "redistribution of wealth" or "debt spending" — all amount to one ridiculous experiment that has been conducted many times in human history and failed each and every time.

You can accurately characterize all of them as "socialism." It doesn't work. Never has. Never will.

So, the logical, sensible, rational strategy for Republicans would be to let it fail. The faster it happens, the better off we'll all be. But, for heaven's sake, don't be a part of the breakdown. Don't compromise with those failed policies. Don't try to make them less of a failure. All Republicans need to do is oppose the policies on principle. It's the easiest job in the world.

Then, when the policies don't succeed and Americans realize they failed, Republicans present an alternative plan in 2010. But, as I feared, some Republicans are being peeled off by the savvy Democrat machine.

The Democrats know they are going to fail. That's why they want Republican collaborators — as many as they can find. Because if the failure is bipartisan, they have nothing to fear with regard to losing power.

What is so hard to understand about this? The Republicans in the House are to be commended for uniformly standing up to the so-called "stimulus package," which is nothing more than the biggest pork-barrel spending plan in the history of the United States. That was a good start. But, the more Republican collaborators who join the Obama party, the harder it will be to keep the picture clear for voters in 2010.

A few more defectors — there are three now in the Obama Cabinet — and we will have witnessed the suicide of the GOP.

Joseph Farah's newest book, "None of the Above: Why 2008 Is the Year To Cast the Ultimate Protest Vote," is available now. To find out more about Joseph Farah and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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