Why Tom Delay could destroy the Republican Party

As the Republican Party debates whether it should remake itself as the Party of No-bama or the Party of Limbaugh, I’ve got different advice for what remains of the party faithful.

Ask yourself, “What Would Tom DeLay Do?” And then do the opposite.

It’s a gut check question—easily mass-produced on plastic bracelets that read “WWTDD,” and consultable in a quick fix. Most importantly, it accurately places the blame for the Republicans’ current travails on a dead-end hyper-partisan approach to politics and governance.

More than any other figure, Tom DeLay was responsible for the rise of not just the unprecedented pork barrel spending which conservatives now blame for their defeats, but also the cronyism and corruption, and the odd combination of religious self-righteousness and amoral political opportunism.