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A key moment came in the 1970s, when Irving Kristol, the godfather of neoconservatism, embraced supply-side economics the claim, refuted by all available evidence and experience, that tax cuts pay for themselves by boosting economic growth. Writing years later, he actually boasted about valuing political expediency over intellectual integrity: I was not certain of its economic merits but quickly saw its political possibilities. In another essay, he cheerfully conceded to having had a cavalier attitude toward the budget deficit, because it was all about creating a Republican majority so political effectiveness was the priority, not the accounting deficiencies of government.

The problem is that once you accept the principle that its O.K. to lie if it helps you win elections, it gets ever harder to limit the extent of the lying or even to remember what its like to seek the truth.

The rights intellectual and moral collapse didnt happen all at once. For a while, conservatives still tried to grapple with real problems. In 1989, for example, The Heritage Foundation offered a health care plan strongly resembling Obamacare. That same year, George H. W. Bush proposed a cap-and-trade system to control acid rain, a proposal that eventually became law.

But looking back, its easy to see the rot spreading. Compared with Donald Trump, the elder Bush looks like a paragon but his administration lied relentlessly about rising inequality. His sons administration lied consistently about its tax cuts, pretending that they were targeted on the middle class, and in case youve forgotten took us to war on false pretenses.

And almost the entire G.O.P. either endorsed or refused to condemn the death panels slander against Obamacare.

Given this history, the Republican health care disaster was entirely predictable. You cant expect good or even coherent policy proposals from a party that has spent decades embracing politically useful lies and denigrating expertise.

And lets be clear: were talking about Republicans here, not the political system.

Democrats arent above cutting a few intellectual corners in pursuit of electoral advantage. But the Obama administration was, when all is said and done, remarkably clearheaded and honest about its policies. In particular, it was always clear what the A.C.A. was supposed to do and how it was supposed to do it and it has, for the most part, worked as advertised.

Now what? Maybe, just maybe, Republicans will work with Democrats to make the health system work better after all, polls suggest that voters will, rightly, blame them for any future problems. But it wouldnt be easy for them to face reality even if their president wasnt a bloviating bully.

And its hard to imagine anything good happening on other policy fronts, either. Republicans have spent decades losing their ability to think straight, and theyre not going to get it back anytime soon.

More here:
Who Ate Republicans' Brains? - New York Times