Republicans are committing political malpractice

Republican voters must be steaming mad. But they don't seem to show it despite the political malpractice of their party leaders over the last several years. Republicans bet everything

to defeat President Obama's health care reform plan — without ever offering a real alternative or working with Democrats to find common ground. Then they doubled-down on hopes the

Supreme Court would overturn the law. They doubled-down again believing that voters would deny President Obama re-election and they could repeal the law. They lost every time. Now, the

country will live under a health care law — for probably a generation or more — that could have been based on many Republican ideas had they simply negotiated. SUBSCRIBE TO THE WEEK Escape

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delivered directly to your inbox. The GOP is doing the same thing with the budget sequester fast approaching on March 1. President Obama wants additional tax revenues by closing loopholes in

the tax code as part of a plan to avoid the across-the-board spending cuts. He's also promised significant cuts — including to both Social Security and Medicare — in return. But

Republicans on Capitol Hill aren't interested. They could likely win more spending cuts than they would have to concede in new tax revenues if they negotiated. Instead, they dig in. The

GOP's stance is especially maddening since just two months ago they were willing to raise tax revenues by closing loopholes during the "fiscal cliff" debate. Now every

Republican leader speaks from the same talking points saying additional tax revenues are "off the table." As a result, the country will get fewer but more damaging spending cuts

via the sequester. Common sense would suggest Republican voters would rise up against their party leaders for failing so dismally to advance their party's stated goals. Their silence is

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