If the Republican party is going to recover from the well-earned defeat they have coming next week, it will require an honest assessment the reasons for their failure from conservative leaders and thinkers. I’ve seen little evidence that Republican-oriented conservatives are up to the task.

A good example is this post from Robert Stacy McCain, who was engaged in some preemptive complaining about media spin of next week’s election. McCain describes the GOP as “the party of low taxes, limited government, traditional values and strong defense.” Only the part about taxes is accurate. the GOP would be more accurately described as the party of tax cuts, debt, cronyism, aggressive war and cultural resentment. The formula that worked for a couple of election cycles, but the party’s chickens have come home to roost.