I'll admit to you right now that I had been rubbing my hands together in a certain amount of gleeful expectation since I found out yesterday that today would be Jim Sensenbrenner's turn to talk about whether "Conservativism Is Out of Gas".  I've expressed my unhappiness with Jim enough times before that this shouldn't surprise you.  A lot of Republicans like Jim.  He's actually a perfect Republican.  He's a "family values" Republican.  He talks big (and backs it up sometimes) on fiscal restraint:

Many of my fellow Republicans got a little taste of pork and couldn’t help themselves as they participated in the spending frenzy. I watched as earmarks and pork barrel projects were approved, but I did not watch in silence. I was lonesome, and unpopular with the local media when I voted against Hurricane Katrina emergency funding and the Highway Bill - packages laced with fraud and fat. I waved my hands wildly in protest as my fellow Republicans signed off on projects such as the "bridge to nowhere." Whatever happened to living within our means? Republicans forgot to be conservatives.

Of course, he has no problem passing crime laws that make federalism seem like an antiquated concept, or force states to spend gobs of money, so long as the federal government doesn't.  Not only does he do it, he brags about it.  He's a fair weather federalism kind of guy, and it drives me nuts.

I am proud of my work to help protect the safety of Americans through the reauthorization of the Patriot Act, Violence Against Women Act, Child Safety Act, and Real ID.

Of course, it's hard to argue that the Child Safety Act or the Violence Against Women Act are bad laws.  They protect women and children.  How could someone be against that?  Then again, Sensenbrenner had no problems not helping victims of Hurricane Katrina either.  How could he be against that?  The fact is, the federal government has no business passing criminal laws in areas that are clearly under the direct control of the states.  States retain police power... but Sensenbrenner time and time again has had no problem trampling on states rights, so long as it fits his moral compass.

And while he brags about battling pork, when it came to his baby, Real ID, he had no problem forcing states to spend billions of dollars to revamp their identification systems to comply with his law... which failed to pass Congress until he attached it to an Iraq War spending bill just like one of the pork barrel project he complains about!  What's worse is that Real ID won't stop terrorism, or improve our safety one bit.  In fact, it will probably make us less safe.  But Jim feels better, and that's what's important... because now he can say "we did something".  And you know how I feel about that attitude.

This whole series of articles on WPRI are actually all turning out to be identical.  They all start by saying Republicans got their hats handed to them for good reason.  They lament about how "other Republicans" (never themselves) "lost their way", and how they have to find it again, and return to their roots.  I'm reminded of something I wrote a while back, which compared Republican voters to battered women:

Sometimes I think that Republicans are like battered women stuck in an abusive marriage.  I especially find it strange how all these Republican bloggers who keep saying that they're "Conservative not Republican", yet always vote for Republicans.  I hate to break it to you... but if you keep voting for Republicans, then you are one.  No matter how many times they treat you wrong, how many times they break your heart, you keep going back to them.

This entire series fits the abusive husband profile perfectly.  First the Republicans got you to vote for them.  They wooed you with talk of fiscal restraint and small government.  Then, after the marriage election, they started to change.  They voted for all sorts of pork, and trampled on federalism.  They beat the crap out of you.  Finally, the voters stood up, and said enough!  I want a divorce!

But now, here they are back at your doorstep, begging to be taken back in.  "I'm so sorry," they cry, "I didn't mean it.  I was doing those things because I was trying show how much I love you.  Please vote for me again, and I promise not to hurt you like that ever again."  They're making the same promises of fiscal restraint, and small government... but what are they doing to prove that they'll follow through with it?

And here I sit, seeing a lot of Republicans buying it.  They praise these Republicans, and are taking them back already.  Why?  What makes you believe that if given the chance, they won't do the exact same thing again?  The Republican Party is just as corrupt and abusive as the Democratic Party, and given the chance, will trample on your rights and spend your money like any abusive husband.  It's time to cut your losses, and move on.  Recycling ideas is not enough.  Brand new people are needed.  A brand new Party is needed.

Conservativism may not be out of gas, but the Republican Party sure is.  You should leave it on the side of the road to rot.