Repubicans on the Verge of Self-Destruction

Bob Novak has the story of a possible GOP self-destruction when it comes to leadership races.

The depleted House Republican caucus, a minority in the next Congress, convenes at 8 a.m. in the Capitol Friday on the brink of committing an act of supreme irrationality. The House members blame their leadership for tasting the bitter dregs of defeat. Yet, the consensus so far is that, in secret ballot, they will re-elect some or all of those leaders.

In private conversation, Republican members of Congress blame Majority Leader John Boehner and Majority Whip Roy Blunt in no small part for their midterm election debacle. Yet, either Boehner, Blunt or both are expected to be returned to their leadership posts Friday. For good reason, the GOP often is called "the stupid party."

Now, as I have said before, I don't think it is fair to blame John Boehner for the losses last week, but Boehner is a member of the original GOP revolution in 1994 and it is time to pass the torch.

What is troubling though is not that Boehner will run or even win the leadership election, but that some viable candidates for leadership posts aren't stepping up to the plate. Boehner, being challenged by Rep. Mike Pence and Blunt, being challenged by Rep. John Shadegg, both seem favored to win.

Given that some dramatic change is necessary in order for the GOP to reassert its dominance in American political life, keeping both Boehner and Blunt would represent a lack of understanding of what happened on Tuesday. The House Republican apparently think they lost because of the war in Iraq. While the war may have been a compelling reason for the loss, it is not the only reason, and deluding themselves into thinking they lost because of the President will not win victory in 2008.

I don't know if Pence and Shadegg can lead the House GOP out of the wilderness of the minority, but I am sure that Blunt cannot. The problem with Blunt in particular was

demonstrated last Thursday when Blunt went to the Heritage Foundation to campaign for his retention as whip. He delivered a defense of earmarking, echoing the House appropriators' claim that the elimination of earmarks would do "nothing but shift funding decisions from one side of Pennsylvania Ave. to the other."

That is the view that led Republicans to earmark a "bridge to nowhere" and hundreds of other projects in competitive districts, hoping it would save them on Election Day.

I think that the Republican base was disgusted with the spending excesses of the former leadership and selecting a new one will signal a change that may energize the base once again around basic Republican principles, that of a smaller government and conservative ideas.