And in tough economic times, it's only natural for people to resent those who've received huge pay bonuses, or who fly in private jets. So, given the mandate that was actually created in the last months of the Bush administration, the Obama team and the Democrats in Congress are now aggressively targeting excessive bonuses, lavish lifestyles and other over-the-top actions by executives whose companies received bailout funds. Many conservatives see this as an even deeper extension of government into the private sector, and an even stronger effort at promoting class envy.

But most Americans aren't consumed with the issue of government intruding into free enterprise. They want to see anyone who appears to have been rewarded for "failure" punished. Voila -- another magic bullet that only adds to Obama's popularity.

Obviously the press is still enamored with the new style of this president and first lady. Again, that's a fact that can be cursed all day long, but is not likely to change anytime soon.

The truth is that the Republican Party is reeling and there appears to be no immediate hope that it can steady itself, much less launch a new offensive that has much of a prayer of being effective. Explaining why tax cuts are good really doesn't matter when, because of our system of withholding taxes from paychecks, polls show that most Americans don't even know how much they pay in income taxes, and a near majority in surveys say, "I didn't pay anything" or "I received a refund."

These are cold, hard facts that most Republicans and conservatives don't want to hear. But as a pollster who must be completely objective when polling, let me assure you they are all true.

After suffering wounds from various magic bullets, a patient must be X-rayed and thoroughly examined to determine what, if anything, can be done to save his or her life.

It's time for the GOP to understand that until it properly diagnoses why it's slowly losing its lifeblood, it's likely to keep losing its pulse. Only after the diagnosis is made and new blood is pumped into the Republican Party will it perhaps start to find some magic bullets of its own.