How Republicans hurt more than just their own party by acting irrationally

last updated 11 January 2015

The give and tug of politics is often messy and ugly to watch. But political theory tells us that politicians working in their own self interest usually produce an optimal policy outcome for the country.

But what if politicians don't act rationally?

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But leading Republicans are instead taking the opposite approach.

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said this week, "So just because the election didn't go our way, that means we're supposed to change our principles? We're supposed to just go along to get along? We reject that view."

A day later Speaker John Boehner Boehner (R-Ohio) echoed Ryan saying "the election losses would not deter his party from pressing its vision."

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) told conservative activists yesterday that the real reason Republicans lost the White House in 2008 and 2012 was because their nominees weren't conservative enough.

Democrats cheer when key Republicans act irrationally and double down on their failed electoral strategies. But the country should not. Lively debate between two strong political parties is the key to policy outcomes that are supported by a majority of voters.

Republicans right now are hurting more than their own party. They're hurting the country too.

Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political websites. He also runs Wonk Wire and the Political Dictionary. Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and COO of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. senator and governor. Goddard is also co-author of You Won â€” Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including The Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Christian Science Monitor. Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.