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Over at The Belmont Club Richard Fernandez has a great post in which he discusses the sad state of the Republican Party. “Why is the Republican Party incapable of putting up a fight? And why is Hillary Clinton “inevitable”?”

Whether the subject is Benghazi, IRS, immigration, the NSA or Syria the GOP performance is shockingly repetitive. First it pauses before the mighty onset, makes a show of defiance. Then it fires off a few desultory arrows at the advancing political machine and disappears under the grinding wheels, a muffled cry of “aieeee” barely audible over the triumphant roar of the Democratic devotees.

“Republicans need to ask what’s wrong with our business model,” said former Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA), after a loss in Virginia. “This should have been a slam dunk. Virginia almost always votes against the president’s party…. All we needed was a mammal up there.”

A mammal and a business model, as Davis should remind himself.

A big part of the problem comes from the civil war between the ‘Institutional Republicans’ and the ‘Tea Party Republicans.’ Essentially these are two incompatible business models competing for market share in the political marketplace of ideas, and only one can survive, the loser goes the way of the Whigs.

The Institutionals don’t see the need to win elections. It is more cost effective for them to consistently get 40% of the dollars in the government trough, especially as the Democrats are better at enlarging that through. 40% of a 200% bigger trough is better than 60% of a 20% bigger trough. They have no incentive to fight for less. Its all about access to the dollars in the government trough. For them traditional American values are symbolic and lip service to them an important part of manipulating the electoral system.

The Tea Party thinks the trough is too big and want to down size it. They see elections as a means to get into a position to effect that reduction, which is itself secondary to reversing the power and over reach of the bureaucratic welfare state and the restoration of traditional American values. They are committed to winning.

Is it any wonder that these Republicans are at war with one another?

Republicans are not the only ones waging civil war. The Democrats are having a similar internecine struggle. Once again it is the Institutional Democrats against the Socialist Democrats. All Democrats are Socialists, but one wing of the party sees Socialism as merely a means to grow the government trough, and the other intends to establish a true Marxist-Leninist totalitarian state.

So who’s going to win? The Institutionals of both parties are merely political hacks guarding the government trough, and will fight ruthlessly to defend their income and their perks. They have the largest numbers already strongly entrenched in positions of power. They are dangerous and cunning and are fighting for their lives.

The Marxist-Leninists are deeply entrenched in the bureaucracy and wield the behind the scenes levers of power. In addition, they are fanatics who, as history has often shown, display a brutal callousness and a reckless willingness to employ extreme violence without regard to consequences.

Conservatives, both affiliated with the Republican Party, the Tea Party and the majority of the American people comprise a vast reservoir of quiet, understated strength and are the largest minority of politically active people in the country. Increasingly they understand the danger from the Marxist-Leninist Left and from the Institutional Elites and are willing to take some kind of action to protect and promote their interests. This was demonstrated by the overwhelming support for ChickFil-A and Duck Dynasty. Get these people to move and they will carry the country with them.

These are the “Silent Majority” of the 1970’s and the growing cohort of people who love the Constitution, understand what it means and want the Constitutional government that once existed, and are very afraid and angry at the subversion of all they believe and hope for.

It is theses people, their values, hopes and aspirations that the Republican Party must either lead or be destroyed by irrelevance.

Cross posted at Republican Club of the Foothills.