Republicans violate the 11th Commandment at their peril

No one says it’s easy to be a Democrat, but these days it’s even harder to be a Republican. If ever there was a chance that the Grand Old Party could regain control of the White House, it looks like 2012 is the year. But things just keep happening to the Republicans, and most of them aren’t very good.

I’m sure most readers have never heard of the Eleventh Commandment, but it isn’t related to religion. The Eleventh Commandment was coined in 1966. It was the creation of a California Republican Party chairman who was frustrated by attacks on then gubernatorial candidate Ronald Reagan. The commandment states, “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.”

Ronald Reagan followed that commandment during most of his presidential primaries. Other Republican candidates at the federal and state level have followed it for as far back as anyone can remember — until this year’s primaries. Aside from attacking one another, the Republican candidates have launched their most blistering attacks on former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who is on track to be the party’s nominee.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has been the most vocal critic of Romney, spending big dollars on a 29-minute commercial blasting Romney’s corporate career at Bain Capital. Gingrich isn’t the only culprit. He has been joined by Rick Santorum, Herman Cain, Michelle Bachman and Ron Paul, who at various times questioned Romney’s presidential capability.

Gingrich is getting a taste of his own medicine. His ex-wife went public with charges that he wanted an open marriage and didn’t honor his vows. Whether the Romney people were responsible for this latest ugliness may never be known.

Romney will no doubt get past all of the sniping by his fellow candidates and get his party’s nomination. But those who think he won’t be wounded by all of the vitriol are kidding themselves. Romney has based his entire campaign on his experience as a corporate executive. His fellow Republicans have savaged that record in a dozen different ways, violating the spirit and intent of the Eleventh Commandment.