The idea that playing possum will prevent the election of a Democrat -- or of a more radical or liberal Democrat -- is a shaky one. It's one that the President's father tried, and it didn't work for him. The Democrat will be elected if the Republican looks weak or ineffective or dangerous, and it's not clear how much control the Republicans have over what kind of Democrat will be nominated.
As a passive policy -- an acceptance of the status quo -- the author's policy does make sense, but not if you really aspire to get things done or change things. And if all a politician wants is to serve out his time with minimal fuss and bother, is he being a good leader? If you believe that there are things seriously wrong with the way the government operates, doesn't it make sense to want to do something about them when you have the chance?
Green's policy is Nixonism, and Nixonism doesn't work. It doesn't mobilize conservative energies. Rather it lets them dry up, atrophy or decay. The President doesn't have to commit himself to anything as drastic or silly as dismantling the federal government, but he does have to give a clear direction in conservative terms, or the ideas that Ronald Reagan brought into the center of American political life will be pushed back to the periphery.