I agree that the republican party needs to be left for dead, but have a slightly different thought process to get there.
Republicans and democrats are working together with the effect being a huge bias to re-election for both parties. A political class has solidified power in the US.
Switching parties is part of it (as is being done in NY and has been done in PA and elsewhere), and a clear signal that the ballots are being manipulated through party affiliation. Primary stuffing to split votes is another tactic used to manipulate the ballot. Another tactic used by the DNC is to throw tons of money at a few congressional races, where the incumbent refuses to play ball. (West, Dornan, Bob Barr to name a few.) If they play ball, They run unopposed in the general election.
The two party system is rotten to the core, and the American people are suffering because of it.
Oh, and this whole manufactured crisis of the fiscal cliff...
it was created by passing a law with a poison pill. That poison pill is universally agreed to be rotten for the USA.
The ‘compromise’ will be slightly less rotten, but better than the devastating poison pill. - giving cover to both wings (d and R) of the political ruling class to vote for it.