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Republicans Adrift (throw them an anchor)

Op-Ed Columnist: Running on Reform By DAVID BROOKS

The Republican Party has a problem this election year. It’s the governing party, but it lacks a governing philosophy.

The G.O.P. used to have a governing philosophy: reducing the size of the state. This was a useful goal because it was the one thing all Republican factions could agree upon. …

But reducing the size of government can no longer be Republicans’ animating principle. …

[T]he main reason reducing the size of government can’t be the party’s animating principle is that Republicans have no credibility on this subject. … Now Republicans control everything, and over the past three years the size of government has still increased, not even counting the war on terror.

Republicans have learned through hard experiences that most Americans do not actually want their government sharply cut. Voters are skeptical of government, but they elect candidates who promise solutions for their problems, not ones who tear down departments. …

With its old governing philosophy obsolete, the Republican Party is adrift domestically. …

Meanwhile, corporate lobbyists have jumped into the vacuum. If principles aren’t going to guide the Republican Party, the opportunists are happy to take control.

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