The Republican Party today does not understand the idea of an opposition party.

This was not always true. Nixon for example, when he ran for president in 1968, vowed to end the war in Vietnam. Nixon did fulfill his vow, albeit seven years and a lot of needless deaths and suffering later.

However, this iteration of the Republican Party, instead of opposing these, unpopular wars (according to polls), amongst other important issues, chooses to run on tired and oversimplified clichés like “The Free Enterprise System can fix it all” and cutting taxes on wealthy individuals  and corporations is the answer.

This creates a problem for them: They have to start history in 2008.

War and debt and financial debacle and employment came into office with Obama, and so it follows that he caused them. The Latin expression for this bit of illogic is “post hoc ergo propter hoc,” which means, “after this, therefore because of this,” assuming a mere chronological relationship to be a causal one.

The Republicans have modified this notion to apply it to Obama: “After him, therefore because of him.”

Now, here is the magic trick: Disappear George Bush. There is not now, nor has there ever been, a George Bush. The Republicans never, and I mean never, mention Bush. Why?

Because the Republicans had the very same message eleven years ago. And, what did they do? They started two expensive wars and cut taxes at the same time and thus built a prodigious deficit.

And, although Bush did not cause the financial debacle of 2008, his philosophy of free market capitalism fueled the fires of deregulation that culminated in that disaster. They bring out the same tired act that we gave the “hook” to last time.

One is reminded of the words of the character, Melvin Udall, played by Jack Nicholson, in the movie As Good as it gets: “Sell crazy somewhere else, we’re full up here.”

We need an opposition to failed policies, not a repetition of them. Sadly, the Republican cure would be worse than the Democratic disease.

Nelson Strasser lives in Lakeport, Calif.