Today's GOP

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by icenine

Maybe the future lies with the Ron Paul ( basically the old Taft isolationist wing) faction merging their libertarian instincts with the free enterprise aspects of the rest of the party.

Leave all the negative social distractions on the cutting room floor....
probably where it will go...HAS to go maybe.

Perhaps, but if that causes them to lose the blue collar vote to the Dems (who actually address their economic interests better than the GOP), the GOP will have precious little left other than the wealthy, business owners and gun nuts (they'll have lost the blue collar vote, highly educated, Hispanics, women, gays, the young, the environmentally aware, and blacks at that point).

The downside of Nixon's Southern Strategy and Reagan's appeal to the Religious Right is coming to its rightful conclusion, it seems.

[whell]

Originally Posted by finnbow

the GOP will have precious little left other than the wealthy, business owners....

Ah, you mean folks who have been successful and have a modicum of intelligence, ambition and common sense? Sounds like a plan.

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by whell

Ah, you mean folks who have been successful and have a modicum of intelligence, ambition and common sense? Sounds like a plan.

I think he was referring to those thieves from the big casino in lower Manhatten.

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by whell

Ah, you mean folks who have been successful and have a modicum of intelligence, ambition and common sense? Sounds like a plan.

Yep, a plan for a perpetual minority. If the GOP has broader appeal, Obama would rightfully be down 20% in the polls.

[BlueStreak]

Originally Posted by JJIII

Don't bother. Nearly all threads turn into Bush is an asshole, Raygun's an asshole, Romney's an asshole, Republicans are assholes, Conservatives are assholes, big business concerns are assholes and furthermore, they are all stupid. The only thread that hasn't gone in that direction is the music thread and even it skirted that territory once. I will say that there are bits of thought and wisdom from both sides of the coin sprinkled between all the assholes. It's just that sometimes it is a smelly job digging them out. Rant over. Carry on.

Stupid? No. Certainly not. Evil? No. I think I've already posted my thoughts on that.

Nope, they are neither stupid nor evil. They are simply doing what they do and following their nature....and anyone else who doesn't protect their own financial interests will be taken advantage of and end up watching their own financial standing diminish as these financial elite grow ever wealtiher. It is the nature of capital to concentrate at the top. With no countervailing pressure to keep the money in our pockets, it will all end up in theirs. History holds this out to be the truth on many occasions.

But, that's okay. Keep telling them all of the money belongs to them and that we should only get what they think we deserve.................and watch what happens.

No thank you. I choose Democracy.

Dave

[JJIII]

Originally Posted by BlueStreak

Stupid? No. Certainly not. Evil? No. I think I've already posted my thoughts on that.

Nope, they are neither stupid nor evil. They are simply doing what they do and following their nature....and anyone else who doesn't protect their own financial interests will be taken advantage of and end up watching their own financial standing diminish as these financial elite grow ever wealtiher. It is the nature of capital to concentrate at the top. With no countervailing pressure to keep the money in our pockets, it will all end up in theirs. History holds this out to be the truth on many occasions.

But, that's okay. Keep telling them all of the money belongs to them and that we should only get what they think we deserve.................and watch what happens.

No thank you. I choose Democracy.

Dave

That sounds like a call for personal responsibility.

[BlueStreak]

Originally Posted by JJIII

That sounds like a call for personal responsibility.

Sure, but collective solidarity works better.

[icenine]

What I really think has happened is this
The recession was(is) structural not cyclical....the economy was overstretched like a rubber band. Because of the information revolution jobs have slipped away...outsourcing,etc...blame who you will. The economy is forever changed.

The traditional blue collar base that each party has shared since maybe the Nixon years (and consolidated by Reagan) is cast adrift. Perhaps neither party will be able to answer to their needs like the old days. So in this vacuum the Republican Party has lost the center it needs. The Democrats still cling to the minority voters, the "dispossessed" among us, and of course the traditional sort of educated "elite" but it is a bit better shape because of demographic changes. The Party that can adapt to these changes will last. Appears the party of Jefferson has a head start, for the time being.

[d-ray657]

Originally Posted by icenine

What I really think has happened is this
The recession was(is) structural not cyclical....the economy was overstretched like a rubber band. Because of the information revolution jobs have slipped away...outsourcing,etc...blame who you will. The economy is forever changed.

The traditional blue collar base that each party has shared since maybe the Nixon years (and consolidated by Reagan) is cast adrift. Perhaps neither party will be able to answer to their needs like the old days. So in this vacuum the Republican Party has lost the center it needs. The Democrats still cling to the minority voters, the "dispossessed" among us, and of course the traditional sort of educated "elite" but it is a bit better shape because of demographic changes. The Party that can adapt to these changes will last. Appears the party of Jefferson has a head start, for the time being.

That's far too neutral an analysis. Where's the boogeyman?

Regards,

D-Ray

[BlueStreak]

Originally Posted by icenine

What I really think has happened is this
The recession was(is) structural not cyclical....the economy was overstretched like a rubber band. Because of the information revolution jobs have slipped away...outsourcing,etc...blame who you will. The economy is forever changed.

The traditional blue collar base that each party has shared since maybe the Nixon years (and consolidated by Reagan) is cast adrift. Perhaps neither party will be able to answer to their needs like the old days. So in this vacuum the Republican Party has lost the center it needs. The Democrats still cling to the minority voters, the "dispossessed" among us, and of course the traditional sort of educated "elite" but it is a bit better shape because of demographic changes. The Party that can adapt to these changes will last. Appears the party of Jefferson has a head start, for the time being.

Excellent post.