Honest Abe Lincoln must be rolling his eyes in heaven watching Donald Trump Donald John TrumpHR McMaster says president's policy to withdraw troops from Afghanistan is 'unwise' Cast of 'Parks and Rec' reunite for virtual town hall to address Wisconsin voters Biden says Trump should step down over coronavirus response MORE and Ted Cruz Rafael (Ted) Edward CruzLoeffler calls for hearing in wake of Netflix's 'Cuties' Health care in the crosshairs with new Trump Supreme Court list 'Parks and Rec' cast members hosting special reunion to raise money for Wisconsin Democrats MORE call each other chronic liars, bad Christians and dirty politicians unfit for office in the latest example of aggressive fratricide that defines the modern GOP.

From the Republican Congress to the presidential campaign, the intraparty carnage within the GOP is so extreme it resembles the plot of “I, Claudius,” in which various contestants to be emperor of Rome removed one another through back-stabbing, scheming and an occasional dose of poison.

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The Speakership of Newt Gingrich ended in 1999 when his Republican colleagues forced him out. His heir apparent, Bob Livingston, withdrew his candidacy for Speaker after a scandal that inhibited his ability to impeach Bill Clinton William (Bill) Jefferson ClintonD-Day for Trump: September 29 Trump job approval locked at 42 percent: Gallup If Trump doesn't know why he should be president again, how can voters? MORE, who ultimately finished his highly successful presidency while Livingston vacated his seat in the House. After Livingston, House Republicans turned to Dennis Hastert, whose career in the House then ended when Democrats regained control of the chamber in the 2006 elections and he resigned his seat. His lobbying life ended when he copped a plea to a crime.

More recently, Eric Cantor Eric Ivan CantorThe Hill's Campaign Report: Florida hangs in the balance Eric Cantor teams up with former rival Dave Brat in supporting GOP candidate in former district Bottom line MORE, who served as House majority leader, was defeated in his 2014 primary by economist Dave Brat and immediately resigned his seat in the House. John Boehner John Andrew BoehnerLongtime House parliamentarian to step down Five things we learned from this year's primaries Bad blood between Pelosi, Meadows complicates coronavirus talks MORE was hounded from the Speakership by right-wing House Republicans, whereupon he abruptly resigned. Boehner John Andrew BoehnerLongtime House parliamentarian to step down Five things we learned from this year's primaries Bad blood between Pelosi, Meadows complicates coronavirus talks MORE’s heir apparent as Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, ended his candidacy unexpectedly after he bragged that the partisan persecution of Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonHillicon Valley: FBI chief says Russia is trying to interfere in election to undermine Biden | Treasury Dept. sanctions Iranian government-backed hackers The Hill's Campaign Report: Arizona shifts towards Biden | Biden prepares for drive-in town hall | New Biden ad targets Latino voters FBI chief says Russia is trying to interfere in election to undermine Biden MORE was a major achievement of the GOP House.

Following this cacophony of chaos and fratricide engulfing GOP leaders in Congress, the battle for the Republican presidential nomination features a bully, who gave a sick impersonation of a disabled person and has a history of calling various women fat slobs and bimbos, battling against one of the most despised senators in Republican history, who launches attacks against his own party’s leaders and whose only claim to legislative fame was causing a government shutdown.

Compared to the fratricidal fanaticism the GOP offers the nation, Clinton looks like Mother Theresa and Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersMcConnell accuses Democrats of sowing division by 'downplaying progress' on election security The Hill's Campaign Report: Arizona shifts towards Biden | Biden prepares for drive-in town hall | New Biden ad targets Latino voters Why Democrats must confront extreme left wing incitement to violence MORE looks like Franklin Roosevelt.

In the never-ending GOP fratricide, liberal Republicans have been chased out of their party. Moderate Republicans have become persona non grata. Even some center-right Republicans are derided as Republicans in name only.

The GOP establishment may soon be force-fed a presidential nominee who in the past made big campaign donations to support Democratic leaders Harry Reid Harry Mason ReidSenate Republicans signal openness to working with Biden Mellman: The likely voter sham Bottom line MORE and Nancy Pelosi and spent 20 of the last 24 years heaping extravagant praise upon Bill and Hillary Clinton because, he claims, as a businessman he had to dish dollars to peddle influence in Washington.

The Trump brand of GOP mega-fratricide involves what he calls his politics as war against both the Republican establishment and the conservative movement, a truth well told in the National Review about a candidate who now offers high praise to Russian strongman Vladimir Putin while blaming the last Republican president for the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

In another example of the fratricide that could destroy Republicans in 2016, my colleague Dick Morris, agreeing with certain other conservatives, wrote yesterday on this page that the GOP cannot nominate Marco Rubio Marco Antonio RubioFlorida senators pushing to keep Daylight Savings Time during pandemic Hillicon Valley: DOJ indicts Chinese, Malaysian hackers accused of targeting over 100 organizations | GOP senators raise concerns over Oracle-TikTok deal | QAnon awareness jumps in new poll Intelligence chief says Congress will get some in-person election security briefings MORE, its most electable candidate!

Republicans are now poised to force what Democrats will call a government shutdown of the Supreme Court. GOP fratricide has become so ugly that Republicans virtually need a food tester when they dine together. Many GOP candidates in close races may soon be forced to decide whether to defend or disown a nominee they privately consider neither a true Republican nor a legitimate conservative but an impulsive, bitterly divisive and dangerous bully who could trigger World War III if given the power.

Democrats should run a Harry Truman-like campaign against a fratricidal Republican Party whose partisans often despise one another as much as they despise Democrats, making it a party of division and dysfunction that cannot unite our people or govern our nation.

Budowsky was an aide to former Sens. Lloyd Bentsen and Bill Alexander, then chief deputy majority whip of the House. He holds an LL.M. degree in international financial law from the London School of Economics. He can be read on The Hill’s Contributors blog and reached at -brentbbi@webtv.net.