Oklahoma's Republicans

The national Republican Party suffered the consequences of former chair Ed Gillespie's declaration that "The Republican Party no longer stands for small government." Under the guise of "compassionate conservatism", the federal government under Bush expanded at an unprecedented rate. They thought they could have their cake and eat it, too - which resulted in disaster on Election Day.

If the Republican Party in Oklahoma goes down this same path, they will ultimately be forced to choose between smaller government and moral bureaucracy. They cannot have both. If they truly desire smaller government, they must give up their desire to impose their religious morality by force, which they cannot do without the additional bureaucracy required by moral police. If they truly desire moral bureaucracy, they must give up any thought of controlling the growth of government.

If the Republicans allow Oklahoma's government to expand out of control, they will suffer the same fate as the national Republican Party.