The last throes of the Republican Party

[LowlyPion]

Stephen Colbert offers suggestions on how the GOP can revamp itself.

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-co...phen-s-sound-advice---how-to-re-brand-the-gop

 

[LowlyPion]

This looks to represent the kind of conflicted thinking that grips the party.

Does the Republican party support Crist?
"While I believe Marco Rubio has a very bright future within the Republican Party, Charlie Crist is the best candidate in 2010 to ensure that we maintain the checks and balances that Floridians deserve in the United States Senate," Texas Sen. John Cornyn, chairman of the NRSC, said in a written statement.

But nationwide, there are scattered signs that the GOP is not completely united behind Crist, who campaigned alongside President Barack Obama in Fort Myers for the Democrat's spending plan earlier this year.

"Just what we need, a 'soft, friendly' moderate GOP member. . . BARF," quipped popular conservative talk show host Glenn Beck online.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/68055.html

What does Beck care anyway? Is he even a Republican for all his flogging of his Tea Party and his self absorbed Socially Conservative Principles that he proselytizes to the world? As the Socially Conservative have dragged the Republican Tent to the ground, what do they have to offer in its place but a minority philosophy? With the hardcore Socially Conservative not wanting to support Crist, are they determined to make themselves into and even smaller minority?

 

[LowlyPion]

Oh, yeah. This will really heighten the discussion of the issues that separate Republicans from Democrats.

GOP, RNC to rebrand Democrats as 'Socialists'
A member of the Republican National Committee told me Tuesday that when the RNC meets in an extraordinary special session next week, it will approve a resolution rebranding Democrats as the “Democrat Socialist Party.”

When I asked if such a resolution would force RNC Chairman Michael Steele to use that label when talking about Democrats in all his speeches and press releases, the RNC member replied: “Who cares?”

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22445.html

Or is this a part of some dopey strategy by the Bah-Humbug Party to make Michael Steele look good, by acting juvenile?

 

[Alfi]

A member of the Republican National Committee told me...

who ... exactly ( name the name ) was this member? And why would he/she tell you that?

 

[Al68]

You could also end up with three parties if the Republican Party splits into a Conservative Party and a what we would call in Europe a "Liberal" Party, where "Liberal" means being in favor of deregulation, less government, lower taxes, people having to take more responsiblity for their social security, etc. etc.

This is why I don't use the word "liberal" to describe Democrats in the U.S. None of the definitions of "liberal" in the dictionary would have Dems more "liberal" than Reps. on economic issues. Just the opposite is true.

The media in the U.S. seem to use the word liberal (for economic issues) to mean "opposed to liberalism" according to the dictionary. There is just no way to use the word in the U.S. without either contradicting its meaning or being misinterpreted.

 

[FireSky86]

The Constitution defines us. What the Republicans are arguing is that it would be better betray the Constitution than to violate their ideology. Therefore, they [the ones promoting this socialist nonsense] are definitively un-American. They would prefer to lie and allow the economy to collapse rather than admit they are wrong.

Does anybody remember Alan Greenspan admittance that his theory of economics was wrong?


To me, that was the big shift right there...I knew something was up when that happened.

 

[WhoWee]

Does anybody remember Alan Greenspan admittance that his theory of economics was wrong?


To me, that was the big shift right there...I knew something was up when that happened.

Last October
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27335454/

 

[Ivan Seeking]

It seems to me that the Republicans face the following choice: Are they to be limited to only social conservatives [I would say only the most extreme element of social conservatism], in which case I think they are dead, or is it acceptable to be fiscally conservative but socially liberal, and still be a Republican? Are the Republicans really just the Christian party?

Meghan McCain today described the party as being hijacked by extremists.

 

[turbo]

According to Gallup, since W took office, the GOP has lost support in nearly all demographic groups across the board.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/118528/GOP-Losses-Span-Nearly-Demographic-Groups.aspx

 

[Ivan Seeking]

According to Gallup, since W took office, the GOP has lost support in nearly all demographic groups across the board.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/118528/GOP-Losses-Span-Nearly-Demographic-Groups.aspx

Republican Party has maintained its support only among frequent churchgoers, with conservatives and senior citizens showing minimal decline.

The thesis presented by James Carvel in his new book 40 More Years is that the Republicans have already alienated a significant percentage of young voters; thus sealing their fate for the next ten general election cycles. Sam Donaldson made the observation that as they have done with Obama, the Republicans opposed FDR during a time of financial crisis, and it cost them the Congress for the next 50 years.

Whether it is that bad or not, what I see as the obvious solution is to ditch the Republicans for a new and broader conservative party - comprised of many of today's Independent voters, who now are the largest group of voters - that could be competitive in a couple of election cycles.

Note also that many Christians are Democrats. The Republicans have the greatest appeal with the fundamentalist Christians. So even within the Christian community we see the divide.

Late edit: We even saw a microcosm of this divide in the Christian community at the all-American-Catholic Notre Dame. 70% of the staff and students approved of the choice to present Obama with an honorary degree. The other 30% did not primarily because of Obama's pro-choice stance on abortion.