Member of the Indiana General Assembly from 1970 to 1996 representing Evansville's central city and southeastern Vanderbugh County. He also was the Democratic candidate for Mayor of Evansville in 1975 losing to Russell G. Lloyd. He retired from the University of Southern Indiana with the title of Director of Purchasing Emeritus. A University of Evansville graduate, Hays is married with five chidren. He is a Korean War veteran where he earned a Bronze Star."

GOP: Gone with the Whigs    - Politics

by J. Jeff Hays     "Bitter hatred of the president may fuel locker room gossip in their country clubs but it is not enough to save them from the desert. ."

When the Republican saints came marching in back in 1994, they ended 40 years of wandering in political exile. Gingrich’s merry band was focused and committed. They had only two commandments: 1) Thou shalt have no government, and 2) Thou shalt crush Bill Clinton.

Their clumsy attempts at shutting down the government failed miserably. Of course they blamed their arch nemesis Bill Clinton. Licking their wounds after that debacle and having no positive program, they bet their future that Ken Starr would get something, anything, on this imposter in the White House.

Lightening struck when Monica Lewinsky was outed from the Oval Office pantry. The GOP, seeing their goals finally materializing, took the pledge—they would not say a word about Clinton’s supposedly terminal troubles. They would forgo hypocrisy and self-righteousness, an enormous sacrifice for any politician, but a special deprivation for House Republicans. They would be virtuous as their nemesis destroyed himself. Legions of citizens would rise up and demand impeachment or resignation.

But they were stopped in their tracks. The polls steadied at about a 70 percent approval rating for the hated Clinton. Instead of impeachment or resignation, canonization seemed more likely.

Rep. Chris Shays, a civilized Republican from Connecticut, had a simple explanation for it. "The country was awed," he said. "It was like seeing Houdini in action. They saw him put in the box, chained and padlocked, and thrown overboard. And the next minute they saw him not just out, but steering the ship. It was amazing."

Even with this startling turn of events, The Republicans could avoid being banned to another 40 years of wandering in the desert. But they won’t. They have no program and the people know it. Their tax cuts for the rich has foundered and whatever social positions the Grand Old Party once had have been blown asunder by the right wing demagogues who now call the shots. Bitter hatred of the president may fuel locker room gossip in their country clubs but it is not enough to save them from the desert.

The last political party that had hatred of a president as the reason for their existence was the Whigs in the early 1800s. Back then it was Andrew Jackson who was the subject of the wrath. The Whigs derisively called him "King Andrew."

The Whigs were not just ousted from power for 40 years, they folded up and quit for good by the 1850s. Today it looks like the hapless Republicans will suffer a similar fate and will be "Gone With The Whigs."