Never underestimate the stupidity of the Republican Party leadership.  In the midst of an attempted power grab of unprecedented proportions by the current Democratic administration that is turning off millions of Americans...as TEA parties and town hall protests against massive government intervention continue to spread...as large percentages of Democrats are recoiling as they find "hope and change" really meant "control and loss of freedom"...the Republican Party has been presented with the chance to saddle this momentum and ride it to power.

Americans are rediscovering the wisdom and insight of their Founding Fathers - men who embraced personal responsibility, cherished liberty, eschewed big government, and understood that the government had a role to play in promoting the moral character of its people. 

It is fair to say that under the leadership of Pelosi, Reid, and Obama, the Democratic Party will not be moving its platform in the direction of such wisdom anytime soon.  Therefore, astute and prudent Republican leaders would recognize this as an incredible opportunity to field candidates who appeal to these values, and return the Party to national prominence. 

But proving that they have no greater enemy than themselves and seemingly possess a desire to ensure a permanent minority status, the leadership of the Republican Party has decided to do the exact opposite.  The special election in New York's 23rd Congressional District is a perfect example.

In a primarily conservative district, Republican John McHugh has resigned his seat to serve as secretary of the army.  One of the candidates vying to take that position in the special election is Dede Scozzafava, a radical liberal who has won the Margaret Sanger award for her commitment to destroying life in the womb.  She favors gay marriage, supports the freedom-destroying "card check" bill that would deprive workers of the right to a secret ballot, and has a penchant for supporting big-government budgets.  She's been endorsed by ACORN, public-employee unions, Markos Moulitsas (the founder of the far-left blog, Daily Kos).and has received two other recent endorsements: the National Republican Campaign Committee and alleged conservative leader Newt Gingrich!

Sending out a plea to supporters, Gingrich wrote that Scozzafava is "our best chance to put responsible and principled leaders in Washington."  It's a dark day when supposed conservatives like Gingrich call reckless spending and evil social positions, "responsible" and "principled." 

But it actually gets worse.  There is a bona fide conservative in the race, Doug Hoffman, who despite being opposed by the Republican Party establishment has surged in the polls.  Offering common sense, traditional morality, and a return to individual responsibility, Hoffman has closed the gap on Scozzafava, which has prompted the Republican National Committee to transfer a six-figure sum into Scozzafava's campaign.  That's right, the RNC is contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars to defeat a conservative and elect a woman who might easily pull an Arlen Specter and switch to the party that more closely aligns with her leftist ideology.

Gingrich defends this unconscionable behavior by warning conservatives, "If you seek to be a perfect minority, you'll remain a minority."  Good grief.  Mr. Gingrich, we don't expect perfection, but we would like to at least be able to distinguish between our candidates and the ones we're trying to defeat.

Newt added this little jewel of idiocy at the end of his statement: "That's not how Reagan built his revolution."  Actually, Reagan spelled out how to build a successful majority in a 1975 speech when he said, "A political party cannot be all things to all people.  It must represent certain fundamental beliefs which must not be compromised to political expediency."

Reagan understood that building a winning coalition meant influencing people with the power of your ideas.  He understood that leadership was about embracing your convictions and passionately articulating them - not compromising on them and thereby convincing the country you stand for nothing.  Newt doesn't get that.  The RNC doesn't get that.  And until they are replaced with those who do, the Republican Party will continue to flounder as merely a lukewarm version of what the Democrats offer.

So to my Republican friends, when the RNC fundraising letter comes in the mail asking you to contribute to defeat the "radical liberals in Washington," I would heartily encourage you to do the following: open it up, paste a picture of Newt and Scozzafava in the middle with a red heart drawn around them, and on the line for your contribution amount write, "Not one darn, dirty dime."  After that, promptly send a donation to Doug Hoffman's campaign.