Gold’s book is a scathing look at the depths to which the present Republican Party has fallen and the way George W. Bush and his Vice President, Dick Cheney, have come to represent everything that Republicans have fought against from the days when Lincoln first led the party.

Gold makes no bones about it. He wants the present GOP to die so it can be born again to its former principles. The elections of 2008 are likely to bring out masses of Democrats who feel rejuvenated by the failures and missteps of the White House and the GOP. The recently reported falloff of financial support for the GOP, estimated to be as high as forty percent, might actually suggest they’re doing something wrong.

More than a few Republicans who simply do not want to live in an America that intrudes into the most private decisions of people’s lives, that throws overboard the Constitutional protections of privacy, judicial protections, and whose elected representatives have engaged in an orgy of spending, are desperately seeking real conservative leadership.

The American Conservative Union Foundation

I strongly recommend reading Caruba’s article in its entirety as it is truly an eye opener to just how far off the track the Republican Party has gotten, especially under President Bush. While I agree with Caruba’s observations and future consequences if the party does not restructure itself, I take difference with his opinion of how to resolve it.

Mr. Caruba feels that in order for the Republican Party to return to its small government roots conservatives need to withhold their votes from Republicans. Losing, presumably badly, will be what it takes for the party apparatus to open its eyes and recognize its own failures. While he is probably correct I think there are likely better ways to go about it and achieve the same results.

There needs to be more primaries and people at the grassroots level need to be more active in recruiting for them and putting in the time to give them the momentum they need to bring on a formidable challenge to an incumbent who has sold out the voters. This can accomplish a purified party without sacrificing the GOP’s influence in legislation.

The problem with simply staying home on Election Day is that it gives more power to the Democrats to put forth their Socialist agenda, and therein lies the danger. There are a countless number of government programs that have been around for decades which spurn mediocre or failed results that we have been unable to do away with time and time again. President Bush envisioned a plan far superior to Social Security, but it went nowhere. Does anyone honestly want to punish Republicans for a few years by giving the Democrats a hefty enough majority if the end result will be the annihilation of our health care by the socialist party forcing us into a single payer system? Remember, we’ll be stuck with it for life.

This is the danger of Caruba’s position, but I support the same goal he is trying to reach.