Has the party of Reagan become the party of quitters?

Monica Crowley summed up the sad state of the Republican Party perfectly last week in a single tweet.

Following the House's 311-114 vote Dec. 1 to expel the lying GOP weirdo and future criminal defendant George Santos, she wrote:

"Republicans bounced George Santos.

"Kevin McCarthy is leaving this month.

"Bill Johnson is retiring.

"This will leave the GOP with a ONE-SEAT majority.

"Democrats would never do their voters like this.

"These people don't give a bleep about us or the country. In fact, they revel in sticking it to us and the country.

"Disgusting."

Disgusting is the right word to describe what Republicans are doing. Pathetic, stupid and hapless apply, too.

Republicans increasingly look like a political party that's trying to commit suicide — and take the country with it.

They are in the process of proving — yet again — that they are incapable of draining the horrible federal swamp they've allowed Democrats to create in Washington.

Given the economic and social mess the Democrats have made in just three years, the GOP should be riding high today and counting on a rout in next year's elections.

Democrats have not only stuck the country with the most incompetent and apparently corrupt president in our lifetimes, they've got us entangled in two wars and thrown open our Southern border so wide they're letting in 10,000 illegal immigrants a day.

By now, if the Republican Party had even a shred of competency, it should have a 100-seat majority in the House and be in control of the Senate.

Instead, the party Ronald Reagan loved but would barely recognize is looking at the possibility of a one-seat majority in the only part of the federal government that can prevent Democrats from damaging the country even more.

What if some House Republican gets really sick or dies next month? We'd have a 50-50 split. Then what could the GOP do to block the Democrats — besides nothing?

The Republicans who are leaving the House say they are retiring. But my wife Colleen is more accurate when she calls them "quitters."

What they're doing is like the entire offensive line of a team that's about to play in the Super Bowl suddenly saying, "We quit."

What Republicans in Congress desperately need is a real leader with good conservative ideas and a lot of spunk to take on the liberal media.

They haven't had one of those since Newt Gingrich rose up in the House in the mid-'90s and pushed his agenda to reduce the size of government, cut taxes and reform welfare.

The GOP's "leader" in Congress today is Sen. Mitch McConnell, an ancient political tactician with zero ideas and zero public appeal who is barely half a step ahead of bumbling Joe Biden.

A major problem with Republican politicians of our era is that so many of them are only interested in becoming a top dog — a governor or president. They aren't interested in getting elected to Congress, state houses and city councils.

Democrats are much smarter.

They understand they don't have to be the governor or president to get their way. All they have to do is win control of the House or Senate or state legislatures.

Winning a governorship or presidency is just a cherry on top that lets them control the entire government — so they can wreck places like California with their bad policies.

It's become very clear that there are precious few Republicans in Congress now who have the brains, backbones or leadership skills to save us from the Democrats.

If we want a Red Wave next year, it's going to be up to voters to elect dozens of principled conservatives who know how to lead and fight, not quit.

The scary thing is, I can't point to a single Republican in Congress right now who'd make a good model for the kind of men and women we will so badly need.