In his latest column for National Review, Jonah Goldberg wonders whether Republicans are ready for the fight that, he argues, has already arrived at their doorstep. Democrats, Goldberg claims, have already decided on a strategy: engage in all out, fact-free rhetorical war against Paul Ryan's Medicare reform plan. Offering a Classical Roman analogy, Goldberg argues that the GOP now has a simple choice to make: "win or die."
The simple fact is that the Democrats have their battle plan. It’s going to be Medi-scare every day in every way for the next 17 months. They are on autopilot. They are committed. Their die is cast. They have crossed their Rubicon. They have no desire to defend Obamacare, high gas prices, high unemployment, and a third Middle East war. They want — no, need — to be on offense because they have so much they cannot defend.
The question now is, “What are Republicans going to do about it?” Are they going to play the role of Pompey, the dissolute leader who didn’t want to fight? Or will they don Caesarian robes and join the battle head-on because they know they have nowhere to retreat? That is the political choice for the GOP: Win or die...
The one advantage the outnumbered Caesar had was that he and his battle-tested forces understood that there was only one solution to their plight: victory.
Do you think this is a view shared by Republicans, or do you see a compromise in the GOP's near future?
