What if?

Republican Strategy as Fast Food Diet
What if the Republicans' strategy was something like this... Get control of Washington (the senate, White House, etc.) and stay there as long as possible. While there, reduce taxes, raise spending and balloon the deficit. Ignore international relations by making decisions that are popular domestically but extremely unpopular in the international community. Do this while knowing they are not good strategies for the long haul but make for easy political gain now. Then, every so often, know that the Democrats will regain control. The Democrats, being the responsible parent, will then make unpopular but necessary adjustments like raising taxes, reducing the federal deficit and taking a global view in international policy.

After a few years, the Republicans will regain control with empty proposals. This will return America to it's fast-food diet of lower taxes, higher deficits and self-centered international policy. The strategy requires the Republicans to periodically lose control but they would always be the popular guys working for the concerns of the regular (albeit misinformed) American. Under this strategy, the Democrats would be forced to become the strict parents, the ones making the un-popular but necessary decisions. Secretly, the Republicans would be happy to have the adjustments the Democrats provide. They know that their own policies, if left unchecked, would bankrupt the country. Publicly they would bitch and moan so that once the necessary adjustments are made, they could rush back into office with more tasty promises full of empty calories.