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In one of the more abysmal legislative failures in recent memory, the Senate failed to successfully pass not only a replacement of Obamacare, but even to pass the so-called "skinny" repeal.

It's a disgraceful ending to a protracted and painful process. Republicans have run for the better part of a decade on repealing Obamacare. They passed a repeal under the Obama administration, when there was no chance of it becoming a reality. But as soon as they had a Republican president who was ready and willing to sign that legislation, too many broke their promises, betraying the voters who put them there.

Or at least some of them did. Let us be clear: Not all Senate Republicans are equally to blame for the current mess in which our government finds itself. Many have stayed faithful to their promises of repeal, even when faced with angry liberal protesters in town halls or with vitriolic comments on social media. But others specifically Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V, John McCain, R-Ariz., Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., Dean Heller, R-Nev., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, turned their back on their constituents and voted to defend Obamacare, which has seen premium increases of triple in some states.

Although the choice to defend Obamacare from these six senators shocked the nation, it hardly comes as a surprise to those who have been watching Washington closely. In recent months, there has been a growing number of Republicans who have run away from core Republican values. Indeed, many of them not just Portman, Capito, McCain, Alexander, Heller, and Murkowski hardly deserve the name of "Republican" after the events of the past several weeks.

But this, of course, raises the question what are these core Republican values? Who does deserve the name Republican? It's a complicated question, but at the end of the day, it comes down to three simple principles.

Limited government. A Republican believes in limiting the size and scope of government. Rather than having the government regulate the rise and fall of products, services and industries, a Republican sees fit to put that trust in the people, allowing them to decide how they will spend their money, how they will educate their children and how they will take care of their own health. Practically, this means voting for legislation that decreases federal regulations and reduces the power of unelected bureaucrats.

These six frauds did not do that -- in a very shocking way.

A re-worked tax code. A crucial part of limited government is lowering taxes and making a tax code that is fair and equitable. Too often, large corporate lobbies drive tax reform, securing carve-outs for themselves while small businesses and individual citizens are crushed by outsize tax burdens. True Republicans fight for a fair system, allowing large corporations, small businesses, and individuals alike to invest their hard-earned money in new markets and new ventures.

We will see which so-called Republicans push for or even support fundamental tax reform.

Constitutional government. A Republican reveres the Constitution as the first and final word on government. As such, they fight federal overreach and push for a return of power to state and local governments, per the principles of federalism outlined in the 10th Amendment. Additionally, a Republican votes to restore the constitutional separation of powers, taking a stand against the influence of unelected bureaucrats in the executive branch and against judicial overreach by the Supreme Court. They also fight for the basic rights of citizens, especially their right to privacy both online and offline and their right to due process and a fair trial.

We will watch to see if there is any action from so-called Republicans to protect us from civil asset forfeiture and whether they push more and more decisions to the state level.

These are the characteristics of a true Republican characteristics that are becoming more challenging to find inside the Beltway. But they are the characteristics that will be necessary if Congress is to make any serious headway on other key issues such as Obamacare repeal, tax reform, and regulatory reform. Let's hope that this healthcare failure serves as a wake-up call, and that Republicans can turn things around and start to do what they were elected to do, and what they promised.

Adam Brandon (@adam_brandon) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner's Beltway Confidential blog. He is president and CEO of FreedomWorks.

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What is a Republican anymore? These 3 key principles - Washington Examiner