The future of the GOP

[bozack]

I would love to see them move further right, but in reality they have to be more centrist if they want to win anything.

 

[International Machine Consortium]

Further right? Fascism? That would only benefit the Democrats. Don't you see the Neo Cons have just been slapped silly by the electorate? Hello? Is any of this getting through?
This race is as much about repudiating Bush and Co and all of their whacked out ideas as it is a huge victory for the Dems.

 

[nageov3t]

with every republican moderate getting voted out, who's even left to bring the party back to the center?

the ones in bed with the religious right seem to be the only ones left.

 

[Polish3d]

Originally posted by: 351Cleveland
I could give a shit less about the GOP. They have abandoned my ideals and core beliefs on the fiscal side. I am hoping a new party emerges from the ashes of the GOP that can truly hold to the conservative ideals that so many "Republicans" hold dear.

Same here. Fuck 'em.

 

[Hulk]

The GOP has to move back to being conservative.

Whenever they try to "out liberal" the Democrats they will lose.

Obama promised the 40% of the country that pay no taxes (and receive earned income credit=welfare) and 10% that pay very little taxes that he will take money from those that work harder and smarter than they do and give it to them.

McCain try as he could couldn't promise to take as much from those doing well and "redistribute" it those not paying taxes.

The top 1% of earners pay 40% of the Federal tax bill.

40% pay no taxes.

Interesting how the top 1% "covers" the Federal taxes for 40% that pays no taxes and that isn't enough.

This Democracy won't last long now that the bottom 50% realize they can elect representatives to take money from the top 50% and redistribute it to them.

But of course this is what the rest of the world wants. For us to be miserable like them.

And no I'm not rich so this won't hurt be now. But I wonder how long this can go on?

 

[bozack]

Originally posted by: Hulk
The GOP has to move back to being conservative.

Whenever they try to "out liberal" the Democrats they will lose.

Obama promised the 40% of the country that pay no taxes (and receive earned income credit=welfare) and 10% that pay very little taxes that he will take money from those that work harder and smarter than they do and give it to them.

McCain try as he could couldn't promise to take as much from those doing well and "redistribute" it those not paying taxes.

The top 1% of earners pay 40% of the Federal tax bill.

40% pay no taxes.

Interesting how the top 1% "covers" the Federal taxes for 40% that pays no taxes and that isn't enough.

This Democracy won't last long now that the bottom 50% realize they can elect representatives to take money from the top 50% and redistribute it to them.

But of course this is what the rest of the world wants. For us to be miserable like them.

And no I'm not rich so this won't hurt be now. But I wonder how long this can go on?

Ditto here, it is only a matter of time before Obama's tax plan extends beyond those who make 250K and up and down into those who make 100K and up...redistribute baby!

 

[Snobok]

The plebs have already figured out that voting Democrat will get them bread and circuses. Democracy in America is officially dead now in my opinion, and I believe it too late to save.

That said, if the GOP wants to come back, they will have to move further right.

 

[XMan]

Conservatism works, whenever it's tried. Look at Mitch Daniels. Got 60% of the vote in a state that seems to be leaning Obama. Same for Mike Pence. Bobby Jindal. Dan Burton.

The GOP screwed themselves with amnesty, insane spending, and forgetting the fiscal conservative base that got them there.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: Snobok
The plebs have already figured out that voting Democrat will get them bread and circuses. Democracy in America is officially dead now in my opinion, and I believe it too late to save.

That said, if the GOP wants to come back, they will have to move further right.

However if everyone is fat, dumb and happy with their govt supplied bread and circus and move to the right is going to be difficult....

 

[Drift3r]

Get rid of the NeoCon's....Get rid of the Bible thumpers. Both are social and political authoritarian groups which have fractured the GOP party and scared away moderate voters. The GOP should move toward the center on social issues ( they don't have to go full on left ) and return to the right on economic issues.

 

[XMan]

Originally posted by: Drift3r
Get rid of the NeoCon's....Get rid of the Bible thumpers. Both are social and political authoritarian groups which have fractured the GOP party. The GOP should move toward the center on social issues ( they don't have to go full on left ) and return to the right on economic issues.

We tried somebody toward the center on social issues (save abortion). We got our ass handed to us.

I agree with you in every other regard. The neocons are the same country club blue bloods who begat Gerald Ford and the Bushies.

 

[Wreckem]

The marriage of convience is over. The Republican Party will get a divorce from itself.

The sad part is, it appears that the Religious Kooks will retain what is left of the party, and the party founders, the fiscal conservatives will be the ones parting ways with the party.

 

[Wreckem]

Originally posted by: XMan

Originally posted by: Drift3r
Get rid of the NeoCon's....Get rid of the Bible thumpers. Both are social and political authoritarian groups which have fractured the GOP party. The GOP should move toward the center on social issues ( they don't have to go full on left ) and return to the right on economic issues.

We tried somebody toward the center on social issues (save abortion). We got our ass handed to us.

I agree with you in every other regard. The neocons are the same country club blue bloods who begat Gerald Ford and the Bushies.

If the party moves further right(which it will once all the fiscal conservatives split, go where I dont know), it will continue to get the drubbing its got the past two elections.

 

[Drift3r]

Originally posted by: XMan

Originally posted by: Drift3r
Get rid of the NeoCon's....Get rid of the Bible thumpers. Both are social and political authoritarian groups which have fractured the GOP party. The GOP should move toward the center on social issues ( they don't have to go full on left ) and return to the right on economic issues.

We tried somebody toward the center on social issues (save abortion). We got our ass handed to us.

I agree with you in every other regard. The neocons are the same country club blue bloods who begat Gerald Ford and the Bushies.

McCain lost because he did not go after the moderate voters. They were scared away by Thumpers and NeoCons. If they can't appeal to the moderates then they can kiss their ass good bye.

 

[Extelleron]

I don't think the GOP has to worry about their future, while this election has gone decidedly Obama, it wasn't a complete landslide; Obama won a lot of key states but the vote was very close. A lot of what Obama won today can be attributed to short term fears about the economy that rose only recently (and hopefully will be out of the picture by 2012) and the current desire for something different than President Bush. Given the hatred for Bush that has carried over to McCain, I think McCain actually did pretty well.

The key for the next election / future is how the Democrats do the next few years as they control both active branches of government and control Congress with a pretty firm majority. If the Dems go far liberal and introduce a lot of Pelosi-style legislation that Obama rubber-stamps, then there is no need for the GOP to do anything; Americans are still a centrist/conservative country and as a whole are not ready for a far left agenda. But if Obama / Dem Congress are moderate in their actions, then Republicans could be in trouble and in need of restructuring. So overall I think it is dependent on how the Dems position themselves in Washington over the next four years; if they go solidly liberal, expect a GOP resurgence in 2012/beyond..... if they go for a moderate position, then IMO problems lie ahead for the Republican party.

I do agree with people on here that I'd like to see a more conservative Rep. party instead of a far right / religious party. But that is where the GOP gets a lot of support and that is not going to change; it is going to be a constant battle to appeal to the mainstream yet continue to retain the support of the hardcore righties. Same idea with Obama though, he has to retain the support of the far lefties in the Democratic party yet win popular support in a country that is still pretty conservative. I know for one if Obama didn't have what I would consider a very dangerous / far-left tax policy, I would be an Obama supporter. But he definitely scares me away when he says things like "rich people need to pay their fair share" when the "rich" people are already paying the majority of taxes.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: Drift3r

Originally posted by: XMan

Originally posted by: Drift3r
Get rid of the NeoCon's....Get rid of the Bible thumpers. Both are social and political authoritarian groups which have fractured the GOP party. The GOP should move toward the center on social issues ( they don't have to go full on left ) and return to the right on economic issues.

We tried somebody toward the center on social issues (save abortion). We got our ass handed to us.

I agree with you in every other regard. The neocons are the same country club blue bloods who begat Gerald Ford and the Bushies.

McCain lost because he did not go after the moderate voters. They were scared away by Thumpers and NeoCons. If they can't appeal to the moderates then they can kiss their ass good bye.

I am not sure how much moderate he can get. McCain was promising the world, just as obama did....

 

[Wreckem]

Originally posted by: Extelleron
I don't think the GOP has to worry about their future, while this election has gone decidedly Obama, it wasn't a complete landslide; Obama won a lot of key states but the vote was very close. A lot of what Obama won today can be attributed to short term fears about the economy that rose only recently (and hopefully will be out of the picture by 2012) and the current desire for something different than President Bush. Given the hatred for Bush that has carried over to McCain, I think McCain actually did pretty well.

The key for the next election / future is how the Democrats do the next few years as they control both active branches of government and control Congress with a pretty firm majority. If the Dems go far liberal and introduce a lot of Pelosi-style legislation that Obama rubber-stamps, then there is no need for the GOP to do anything; Americans are still a centrist/conservative country and as a whole are not ready for a far left agenda. But if Obama / Dem Congress are moderate in their actions, then Republicans could be in trouble and in need of restructuring. So overall I think it is dependent on how the Dems position themselves in Washington over the next four years; if they go solidly liberal, expect a GOP resurgence in 2012/beyond..... if they go for a moderate position, then IMO problems lie ahead for the Republican party.

WTF?

The Dems look to be picking up an addition 25-30 House Seats, 5+ Senate Seats. Add that to the last election cycle, they've complete annihalated the republican party. With over 50+ House Seats and 14+ Senate Seats flipped. This was a BLOWOUT.

Although, Florida did pass a gay marriage amendment.

 

[XMan]

Originally posted by: Drift3r

Originally posted by: XMan

Originally posted by: Drift3r
Get rid of the NeoCon's....Get rid of the Bible thumpers. Both are social and political authoritarian groups which have fractured the GOP party. The GOP should move toward the center on social issues ( they don't have to go full on left ) and return to the right on economic issues.

We tried somebody toward the center on social issues (save abortion). We got our ass handed to us.

I agree with you in every other regard. The neocons are the same country club blue bloods who begat Gerald Ford and the Bushies.

McCain lost because he did not go after the moderate voters. They were scared away by Thumpers and NeoCons. If they can't appeal to the moderates then they can kiss their ass good bye.

That's bull. Take Indiana. Mitch Daniels is as conservative as they come. He got 60% of the vote - and polling indicated a lot of Obama voters voted for him over the Dem candidate for Governor.

Moderates like Linday Grahamnesty and the Republicans who voted for the bailout bill despite the vast majority of the country being against are the problem. If the Republicans had elected persons of strong conservative convictions who walked the walk instead of spending money like drunken Democrats we wouldn't be in this situation. It's our own fault for electing a moderate like Bush in the first place, back in 2000.

 

[Wreckem]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: Drift3r

Originally posted by: XMan

Originally posted by: Drift3r
Get rid of the NeoCon's....Get rid of the Bible thumpers. Both are social and political authoritarian groups which have fractured the GOP party. The GOP should move toward the center on social issues ( they don't have to go full on left ) and return to the right on economic issues.

We tried somebody toward the center on social issues (save abortion). We got our ass handed to us.

I agree with you in every other regard. The neocons are the same country club blue bloods who begat Gerald Ford and the Bushies.

McCain lost because he did not go after the moderate voters. They were scared away by Thumpers and NeoCons. If they can't appeal to the moderates then they can kiss their ass good bye.

I am not sure how much moderate he can get. McCain was promising the world, just as obama did....

As long as Republican party has the religious right, the Republican party is doomed to fail. The marriage between fiscal conservatives and the religious right has never been more than a marriage of convience. Now its been shown the marriage no longer works. The RR is far far more entrenched into the GOP than the fiscal conservatives are.

 

[nageov3t]

without the RR, though, where's a republican going to win?

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: Wreckem

Originally posted by: Extelleron
I don't think the GOP has to worry about their future, while this election has gone decidedly Obama, it wasn't a complete landslide; Obama won a lot of key states but the vote was very close. A lot of what Obama won today can be attributed to short term fears about the economy that rose only recently (and hopefully will be out of the picture by 2012) and the current desire for something different than President Bush. Given the hatred for Bush that has carried over to McCain, I think McCain actually did pretty well.

The key for the next election / future is how the Democrats do the next few years as they control both active branches of government and control Congress with a pretty firm majority. If the Dems go far liberal and introduce a lot of Pelosi-style legislation that Obama rubber-stamps, then there is no need for the GOP to do anything; Americans are still a centrist/conservative country and as a whole are not ready for a far left agenda. But if Obama / Dem Congress are moderate in their actions, then Republicans could be in trouble and in need of restructuring. So overall I think it is dependent on how the Dems position themselves in Washington over the next four years; if they go solidly liberal, expect a GOP resurgence in 2012/beyond..... if they go for a moderate position, then IMO problems lie ahead for the Republican party.

WTF?

The Dems look to be picking up an addition 25-30 House Seats, 5+ Senate Seats. Add that to the last election cycle, they've complete annihalated the republican party. With over 50+ House Seats and 14+ Senate Seats flipped. This was a BLOWOUT.

Although, Florida did pass a gay marriage amendment.

Yes the votes were close in many states, a few points in the other direction and this would be having a different conversation.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: Wreckem

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: Drift3r

Originally posted by: XMan

Originally posted by: Drift3r
Get rid of the NeoCon's....Get rid of the Bible thumpers. Both are social and political authoritarian groups which have fractured the GOP party. The GOP should move toward the center on social issues ( they don't have to go full on left ) and return to the right on economic issues.

We tried somebody toward the center on social issues (save abortion). We got our ass handed to us.

I agree with you in every other regard. The neocons are the same country club blue bloods who begat Gerald Ford and the Bushies.

McCain lost because he did not go after the moderate voters. They were scared away by Thumpers and NeoCons. If they can't appeal to the moderates then they can kiss their ass good bye.

I am not sure how much moderate he can get. McCain was promising the world, just as obama did....

As long as Republican party has the religious right, the Republican party is doomed to fail. The marriage between fiscal conservatives and the religious right has never been more than a marriage of convience. Now its been shown the marriage no longer works. The RR is far far more entrenched into the GOP than the fiscal conservatives are.

THe religious right played almost no part in this election. Neither abortion or gay marriage was much of an issue in this race.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: loki8481
without the RR, though, where's a republican going to win?

So I guess if you want the republicans to get rid of the RR< does that mean you want them?

 

[Wreckem]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: Wreckem

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: Drift3r

Originally posted by: XMan

Originally posted by: Drift3r
Get rid of the NeoCon's....Get rid of the Bible thumpers. Both are social and political authoritarian groups which have fractured the GOP party. The GOP should move toward the center on social issues ( they don't have to go full on left ) and return to the right on economic issues.

We tried somebody toward the center on social issues (save abortion). We got our ass handed to us.

I agree with you in every other regard. The neocons are the same country club blue bloods who begat Gerald Ford and the Bushies.

McCain lost because he did not go after the moderate voters. They were scared away by Thumpers and NeoCons. If they can't appeal to the moderates then they can kiss their ass good bye.

I am not sure how much moderate he can get. McCain was promising the world, just as obama did....

As long as Republican party has the religious right, the Republican party is doomed to fail. The marriage between fiscal conservatives and the religious right has never been more than a marriage of convience. Now its been shown the marriage no longer works. The RR is far far more entrenched into the GOP than the fiscal conservatives are.

THe religious right played almost no part in this election. Neither abortion or gay marriage was much of an issue in this race.

Just because abortion and gay marriage "werent an isse" doesnt mean the RR hasn't alienated the moderate voters over the past 8 years.

 

[Extelleron]

Originally posted by: Wreckem

Originally posted by: Extelleron
I don't think the GOP has to worry about their future, while this election has gone decidedly Obama, it wasn't a complete landslide; Obama won a lot of key states but the vote was very close. A lot of what Obama won today can be attributed to short term fears about the economy that rose only recently (and hopefully will be out of the picture by 2012) and the current desire for something different than President Bush. Given the hatred for Bush that has carried over to McCain, I think McCain actually did pretty well.

The key for the next election / future is how the Democrats do the next few years as they control both active branches of government and control Congress with a pretty firm majority. If the Dems go far liberal and introduce a lot of Pelosi-style legislation that Obama rubber-stamps, then there is no need for the GOP to do anything; Americans are still a centrist/conservative country and as a whole are not ready for a far left agenda. But if Obama / Dem Congress are moderate in their actions, then Republicans could be in trouble and in need of restructuring. So overall I think it is dependent on how the Dems position themselves in Washington over the next four years; if they go solidly liberal, expect a GOP resurgence in 2012/beyond..... if they go for a moderate position, then IMO problems lie ahead for the Republican party.

WTF?

The Dems look to be picking up an addition 25-30 House Seats, 5+ Senate Seats. Add that to the last election cycle, they've complete annihalated the republican party. With over 50+ House Seats and 14+ Senate Seats flipped. This was a BLOWOUT.

Although, Florida did pass a gay marriage amendment.

And why was it a blowout? I would say most of that has to do with a very negative view of the last 8 years under Bush and less to do with real popular support for democratic policies.

It is a lot different for the Democrats now than it has been in '06-'08; through now, they can blame all the troubles in the country on the Republicans, and there have been a lot of troubles since 2000. But now they are accountable for what goes on in America, whether that is right or wrong.

When I say "it was not a blow out" I am talking about the popular vote for Pres........ I don't know where it is now but last I checked it was around 51 Obama / 48 McCain. That's not a blow out, the electoral college overstates the actual margin of victory. Virginia and Florida were extremely close and so were a lot of other states. There has not been a huge ideological switch in America over the last 4 years. This is simply the start of a new cycle, one that heavily favors the Dems. Yet 4-8 years from now, you will see it turn around again. It always is that way, this is nothing new (although the Dem pickups in congress are quite amazing).