No group has done more for the party than Club for Growth, the Washington-based anti-tax group dedicated to weeding out RINOs (Republicans in Name Only).

I mean, of course, the Democratic Party, which has been the chief beneficiary of this strategy blessed by the GOP to become even more conservative. Mission accomplished.

Recently, CFG President Pat Toomey stepped down from his job to rid Pennsylvania of the scourge known as Sen. Arlen Specter. In doing so, Toomey's bludgeoned the Republican Party far more than a few conscience votes by the moderate Republican. Because Specter just switched parties and will almost certainly coast to re-election in 2010. But not before casting critical votes on budgets, health care and cap and trade.

Now the Dems have 60 seats in the Senate, just as soon as the courts finally rule for Al Franken in Minnesota. He's had a consistent lead and it only looks to be a matter of the GOP running out the clock. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if there's a resolution introduced by a Democrat in the Senate for "Pat Toomey Day."The GOP may be "pure" but it has also become far smaller -- with only 21 percent identifying as Republicans in the latest Washington Post poll. And thanks to Club for Growth, the party has hemorrhaged in the last two cycles Senate seats in Rhode Island and New Mexico and congressional seats in Idaho, Maryland and Michigan. As I just wrote about in my last column, the CFG-anointed candidate, Tim Walberg, knocked out moderate U.S. Rep. Joe Schwarz in the 2006 GOP primary, leading to liberal Mark Schauer winning the conservative 7th District seat last year. And so far, he's running unopposed.

Beats me why the party isn't eager to change. I always thought politics was about winning. But given the shrill reaction of Michigan GOP strategists like Dave Doyle (he of the eugenics anti-Proposal 2 ads) to the mere suggestion that the party needs to change its message, I guess they'll leave that whole change thing to Barack Obama. Not that he's had any success with that.