That the Republican Party would so overwhelmingly oppose the stimulus package has never been a surprise. This is the moment when America officially drives the nail in the coffin of Reaganism. A political movement that came into power in 1980 and pledged to lower taxes, lift regulations, and shrink the domestic spending agenda of the Federal government has now effectively run its course. Just as New Deal liberalism had become ossified, corrupt and stagnant by the 1970s – paving the way for the Reaganite conservative revival – so today we have witnessed decades of deregulation and regressive tax “reform” push our economy to the brink of depression. No, Michael Reagan , the Republic is not being “murdered.” But your dad’s day in the sun has, indeed, passed.

Nearly all of the younger and middle age crop of Republicans in Congress developed their political positions as a celebration of Reaganism; a brief listen to the RNC candidates and the GOP primary campaign shows the hagiography at work. Of course, the Democrats glorified all things FDR for decades after his passing too, so the Republicans are hardly alone in extolling the virtues of a long dead leader.

But ZERO votes for the stimulus?

Even Joseph Cao of New Orleans? Michael Castle of Delaware? Jim Gerlach of Pennsylvania?

What’s troublesome about this is that, if Senator Arlen Specter is to be believed, many Republicans DID in fact want to vote for the stimulus…but were scared away from doing so because of right-wing vultures like the Club for Growth and Limbaugh-led talk radio mob.

“When I came back to the cloak room after coming to the agreement a week ago today,” said Specter, “one of my colleagues said, ‘Arlen, I’m proud of you.’ My Republican colleague said, ‘Arlen, I’m proud of you.’ I said, ‘Are you going to vote with me?’ And he said, ‘No, I might have a primary.’ And I said, ‘Well, you know very well I’m going to have a primary.’… “I think there are a lot of people in the Republican caucus who are glad to see this action taken without their fingerprints, without their participation,”

In other words, a handful of moderately conservative Republicans viewed the stimulus package as an appropriate response to the economic crisis and were scared away from voting for it by the GOP base.

Folks, that’s called cowardice.

For some perspective, in 2001 as many as 28 Democrats in the House and 12 Senate Democrats voted for Bush’s 2001 tax cut. The cost of that tax cut was $1.3 trillion – far more than this stimulus package.

Instead, the Republicans voted “No” this time. Contrary to their protestations, they really did offer no real alternative, other than extending Bushian tax cuts.

The Republican Party has turned inward, speaking only to the base.

And now, if the economy improves, they will be on the outside looking in. Again. I’m sure Rush Limbaugh is pleased.