I have heard it said many, many, too many times by too many pundits that the GOP problem is that it has become a regional party, a southern party. And the dems are saying “Yee-Haw!”

Regionalism is not the GOP’s problem. Losing the all the northeast congressional delegations is a symptom, not the disease. Regionalism is the end result, not the cause.

The cause of the problem is that the GOP has accepted the Boss Hogg premise that it is every man for himself. If you judge by the latest actions in the town hall meetings, Republican party members seem to believe that every individual fighting for his own short-term self interest will be what’s best for America. And they will shout you down if you have a different opinion.

There does not seem to be a sense of responsibility for the greater good either among the leaders or the rank and file. There seems to be no sense of caring what the other person thinks or feels. The goal is to stop the other side from winning, to shout the other side down. The goal is to shut down the process, to protect the status quo, because the status quo seems to be working for those it is working for. And if it doesn’t work for others, too bad.

This attitude may be a trickle down evolution of the old adage of what was good for General Motors was good for America. The idea back then being that what was good for American business was what was good for America. And because that was true to a certain degree, it caught on. It was extended to the idea of what’s good for my business is good for America. And now it’s all about each individual looking out for Numbero Uno, sorry number one. We don’t want to infect this blog with foreign language of people who don’t vote Republican anyway.

I believe this me-first-ism comes with a dose of short-sighted-sism. I believe Republicans have become so near-sighted they can’t see the forest for the forest fires they are lighting. They care so much about themselves in the short term, they are sacrificing what is good for them in the long term — both for individuals and for the party.

The GOP leaders seem more concerned with tactics rather than strategy. And on a tactical level, the Republicans are winning. But I see that as winning the battles on the way to losing the war.

When Republican leaders inspire the party faithful to extend their vision, and think strategically about the bigger picture and to understand the concept of the bigger pie, the Grand Old Party will make its comeback. And if they don’t, the Dukes will continue to kick their big ole Boss Hoggie butts.

1. There are no commandments. Do whatever tunes you up, turns you on, or turns you out.

2. You don’t need a big empty farm to stage this event. A backyard, beach, park bench, or anywhere with a little bit of grass will do.

3. Drink Annie Greensprings wine or something natural like Watermelon shots.

4. Bring munchies. Lotsa munchies.

5. Women must not shave their pits or legs, nor wear bras, unless they plan on removing bras while dancing in the rain

6. Coordinate your color schemes. Panama Red clashes with Acapulco Gold.

7. Couch potatoes too stoned to crawl to where everybody else is, may zone out to the 1970 Woodstock flic or any Cheech and Chong effort, unless you can score a bootleg of the new Trading Woodstock flic being released at the end of the month.

8 Games2Avoid: Fastpitch Frisbee, Revenge Croquet, and anatomical experimentation in the bushes and weeds, because Poison Ivy is not an aphrodisiac.

9. Make this the beginning of a new Counter Revolution against any cause your parents were for.

10. Love should be free, so don’t charge this time.