The Republicans just beat the Democrats pretty badly. But the Republicans perceive that they also beat conservatives. The perception has helped closed the Republican mind. The conservative stalwarts of the past have given way to the return of the patrician Republicans who will use government to care for the people, just in different ways from the Democrats.

The Party of Nixon, Ford, Bush, Dole, Bush, McCain, and Romney intends to push aside all vestiges of the Party of Reagan. After all, he is dead. And many Republican leaders wish his fiercest apologists were too.

In Washington, a number of Senate Republicans have signaled they are now ready to raise taxes on the American public. [mc_name name=’Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)’ chamber=’house’ mcid=’R000570′ ], who is saying now, actually set the stage with his Ryan-Murray plan that raised taxes on Americans who go through our airports. Senate Republicans want to increase gas taxes and “user fees”, allocating those taxes and fees to pet projects.

But the extent of tax increases goes beyond Washington.

After the public in Nevada rejected a tax increase for education put to them at the ballot, newly re-elected Republican Governor Sandoval insists the legislature do what the voters said they did not want done. Naturally, Governor Sandoval says it is for the children.

In Georgia, the Republicans in the state legislature are preparing to raise taxes too. The Georgia Republicans are even more pernicious than the Nevada Republicans. The Georgia Republicans are refusing to pass religious freedom legislation because the Chamber of Commerce is beholden to the gay rights agenda. That very same Chamber of Commerce is demanding they raise taxes and the Georgia Republicans intend to do just that.

Georgia’s Governor, incidentally, wants to spend more on education and reduced what he wants the state to allocate toward transportation. Legislative Republicans are using this as the excuse to raise taxes all while ignoring the issue of religious freedom.

Republicans nationally and in several states looked over the landscape in November and concluded they had won big. They beat their base. Then they beat the Democrats. They could consequently close their mind to outside opinions and ideas and could fix their hearts on the public purse.

This has a tendency to end badly for any party that does this. Just ask Barack Obama who closed his mind and ears to critical voices on healthcare and government spending and has been suffering ever since.

If Republicans raise taxes, particularly while ignoring the concerns of their base toward religious freedom and other issues, they might find their grasp on power comes up short. After all, they have to win all the races. Conservatives only have to disrupt a few. And we will.