If someone says, "I am with the GOP," what does that mean exactly?

According to a recent USA Today/Gallup poll, most Americans cannot name one person who speaks for the Republican Party. Asked to identify "the main person who speaks for the Republicans today," 51 percent of the respondents, including self-identified Republicans, drew a blank.

Some people named radio host Rush Limbaugh (13 percent), former vice president Dick Cheney (10 percent), former House speaker Newt Gingrich (6 percent), former GOP presidential candidate John McCain (6 percent) - all of whom had been in the news recently for scurrilous and persistent attacks on President Obama.

At this critical crossroad in this nation's history, one of our two major political parties is without a recognizable leader and message to help guide them and the United States. What a shame! And I say that without an iota of irony or sarcasm.

The Republican Party has been dormant while Congress and the president tackle the important challenges facing the nation and chart an ambitious approach to problems old and recent.

What does it mean to be a Republican?

There are two GOPs today: flame-throwers and moderates jumping off the burning ship. The USS GOP has no captain, no destination, no direction. At some point, more serious members will stand up and help retool the party of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Margaret Chase Smith, Jack Kemp and others.

The wannabe GOP leaders, and those raising their profile for the important 2012 presidential election, are setting their own ship of state afire with their constant stream of foul, rancid negativity. They always accuse the opposition of being harmful to our national interests, yet they propose no ideas or solutions of their own. And they never, ever seek compromise - not even with the moderates in their own party. In the theater of politics, they are arsonists who point fingers away from themselves while screaming "Fire!"

The good news is the American people have begun to catch on to the flame-throwers. Their proposed solutions are recognized as having contributed to so many of the problems we are facing today. (The GOP has politicized the budget and the growing deficits without acknowledging that both the war in Iraq and their massive tax cuts for the rich contributed to both our country's short- and long-term debt.)

If the Republicans cannot identify a leader or come up with new ideas, then they should be prepared for even larger losses in the next election.

Good riddance. Let a new, healthier and a more vibrant GOP emerge. And let it compete with sound, constructive policy alternatives to help guide the country during these difficult times.