Republicans are awash in negative poll numbers these days. The President’s approval ratings have been languishing in the 30s, and the Congress hasn’t been doing much better. According to a recent Fox News poll, only 35 percent of Americans approve of the job that congressional Republicans are doing. Other polls show similar, dreary numbers.

Many Republicans seem confused about how to reverse this negative trend. In an odd twist of logic, many act as if they can solve the problem by failing to tackle issues that are important to the Republican base. Somehow, it doesn’t seem to occur to these Republicans that their lack of effective action on issues such as spending and expiring tax cuts may be actively contributing to their poor poll numbers. Many Republicans are so tunnel-visioned on avoiding further damage that they have apparently forgotten the political value of generating enthusiasm among voters.

Last week, Republicans failed, yet again, to act decisively on an issue that has the potential to energize their base.

On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee took up the subject of one of President Bush’s long-delayed judicial nominations, Brett Kavanaugh, who has been nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Republicans were expected to vote Kavanaugh out of committee last week. Instead, Chairman Arlen Specter caved in to Democratic demands, agreeing to delay the vote and hold a second hearing for Kavanaugh. The new hearing is scheduled for today. The committee vote will allegedly take place on Thursday.

Specter gave in to the Democrats’ continuous demands for delay, with barely a whimper. The White House quickly followed suit, issuing a bland statement: “While we’d prefer to avoid a second hearing, we have a common goal of confirming good, fair judges who share the President’s judicial philosophy,” said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino. “We’re willing to do what is necessary for his confirmation.”

What? Where were the fireworks? Why would Republicans miss this opportunity to stand firm, stoutly defending their position on a subject that has proven, time and again, its value with the Republican conservative base?

Resoluteness and determination were required in this situation. The ever-undependable Specter gave us spinelessness.

Republicans have been inundated with bad news lately. Soaring gas prices. Voter impatience with the inevitable difficulties of war. Now, when they are faced with a battle that they could certainly win—a battle that has proven popular with their base over and over again—they have not only failed to win the battle, but they’ve failed to do so much as to field a team.

You’d think that Republicans would want Democrats to pick this fight, even if it is only to provide a momentary distraction from media headlines about high gas prices.

Republicans should have stood their ground and voted Kavanaugh’s nomination out of committee. If a filibuster is mounted, they should invoke the constitutional option to bypass the filibuster. Such actions would not only have positive political effects, but they would be right, as a matter of principle. Kavanaugh’s nomination has been pending for nearly three years, despite the fact that Democrats have no valid objection to him. Chuck Schumer and his cronies offer various complaints about Kavanaugh, of course, but when push comes to shove, only one gripe has any substance: Democrats don’t like Kavanaugh because he worked in Independent Counsel Ken Starr’s office during the Monica Lewinsky affair.

Their delays are about payback. Nothing more or less. And Republicans have so far let Democrats get away with it.

Now is the time for Republicans to push hard, not only for Kavanaugh’s nomination, but also for the confirmations of many of the other long-delayed judicial nominees. The Democrats may choose to pick a filibuster battle over one or two nominees, but Republicans should not fear this possibility. The filibuster is a double-edged sword for Democrats. Indeed, the filibuster battle has arguably done much more to drive Republican voters to the polls than Democratic voters.

In other words, Republicans have everything to gain, and nothing to lose if they stoutly defend President Bush’s judicial nominees.

The November elections are looking pretty dreary for Republicans at the moment. They seem to think that inaction will help them to salvage their majorities in the Senate and the House. Perhaps their theory is that no action equals no election controversy. Sadly, they’ve missed the other side of this theory. No action also equals a demotivated base on Election Day.

It’s hard to imagine how Republicans can possibly get their mojo back if they continue to succeed so completely in their efforts to accomplish absolutely nothing.

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