[frank4570]

I just want to see what you guys think. I'm thinking that if the republican party doesn't change it is going to loose. The population is changing and I think the republicans will no longer have the votes to do anything.
I don't claim to be an expert.

[G17Jake]

They have to, in my opinion, or they may as well join the Democrat Party.

What we really need is for the states to start challenging the federal government when it goes outside of the powers givin to it by the COTUS.

[engineer151515]

It's hard to sell self sufficiency and fiscal responsibility to a generation that Liberals have taught to be dependent upon the government for support and demand fiscal accommodations for everything from homes to food to cars to cellphones.

But it only takes one Hurricane Katrina to show just how stranded you will end up being.

[Ruble Noon]

Originally Posted by frank4570

I just want to see what you guys think. I'm thinking that if the republican party doesn't change it is going to loose. The population is changing and I think the republicans will no longer have the votes to do anything.
I don't claim to be an expert.

I think it is too late. The GOP is done.

[G17Jake]

Originally Posted by engineer151515

It's hard to sell self sufficiency and fiscal responsibility to a generation that Liberals have taught to be dependent upon the government for support and demand fiscal accommodations for everything from homes to food to cars to cellphones.

But it only takes one Hurricane Katrina to show just how stranded you will end up being.

But the response to such events is often times a demand for more government.

[engineer151515]

Originally Posted by G17Jake

But the response to such events is often times a demand for more government.

And political candidates/representatives of all parties compete for that vote.

Hence - the situation you have today.

It's a matter of "who can give me more free stuff" among a voting population of dependents.

Plus the education angle were people are taught that the .govt will provide for you, the .govt will protect you, the .govt is run by smarter people than you so they know what they are doing, etc.

It took about 50 years of continuous Liberal effort to get to this sorry situation.

[beforeobamabans]

The GOP is one defection away from irrelevancy. If a charismatic young conservative such as Marco Rubio were to run on the Constitutional Party, the GOP would be toast. The road back has to be toward smaller government and stricter constitutionalism, not toward the democrats.

[engineer151515]

Originally Posted by beforeobamabans

The GOP is one defection away from irrelevancy. If a charismatic young conservative such as Marco Rubio were to run on the Constitutional Party, the GOP would be toast. The road back has to be toward smaller government and stricter constitutionalism, not toward the democrats.

You need to teach and effectively sell that concept to 47% of Americans that effectively pay no Federal income tax.

[Ruble Noon]

Originally Posted by beforeobamabans

The GOP is one defection away from irrelevancy. If a charismatic young conservative such as Marco Rubio were to run on the Constitutional Party, the GOP would be toast. The road back has to be toward smaller government and stricter constitutionalism, not toward the democrats.

The libertarian platform. You want this but said in another thread that you wouldn't support them??

[beforeobamabans]

Originally Posted by Ruble Noon

The libertarian platform. You want this but said in another thread that you wouldn't support them??

I just don't think the two party system is going to be overturned by the LP. They've been around a long time and not made a dent. We need something fresh and new. WHIGS?

[aircarver]

Originally Posted by engineer151515

You need to teach and effectively sell that concept to 47% of Americans that effectively pay no Federal income tax.

Boy Howdy ! ...

.

[GAFinch]

Yes, they need to develop an actual marketing campaign, realizing that outspoken figures being heavily criticized by the Democrat-Media machine is a good thing...means they see you as a threat.

[Ruble Noon]

Originally Posted by beforeobamabans

I just don't think the two party system is going to be overturned by the LP. They've been around a long time and not made a dent. We need something fresh and new. WHIGS?

Got Ya'.

[PhotoFeller]

Given changing demographics in the US, the R party must change or it will become irrelevant.

Change will be difficult because fractures in the party run deep. What is lacking, for one thing, is effective leadership. Without a smart, hard-nosed leader to pull the factions back together with a new Conservative vision, we are in for serious trouble for a long time.

[nursetim]

To directly answer your question irrespective of other replies, yes. They are no longer conservative. On a linear continuum 0-100. Where 0 is communism/facism and anarchism is 100, the Republican Party used to be around 60 and democrats 40. The way I see it now is the rp is now 40 and the dp 15-20 (being generous here). Is the tea party the replacement of the former rp? It certainly seems to be more conservative than the present day rp. So yes, they need to either complete their journey left and meld into the dp or come back to their conservative roots.

[Fracball]

I don’t know if the party fundamentals need to change, but there are a few things they should do differently.

1. Go on offense
2. Stay on offense
3. Destroy the liberal media
4. Stop deliberating topics that cause predictable backlash; birth control, rape victims, etc.
5. See 1, 2 and 3

[aircarver]

Originally Posted by nursetim

To directly answer your question irrespective of other replies, yes. They are no longer conservative. On a linear continuum 0-100. Where 0 is communism/facism and anarchism is 100, the Republican Party used to be around 60 and democrats 40. The way I see it now is the rp is now 40 and the dp 15-20 (being generous here). Is the tea party the replacement of the former rp? It certainly seems to be more conservative than the present day rp. So yes, they need to either complete their journey left and meld into the dp or come back to their conservative roots.

.

[Cavalry Doc]

Originally Posted by frank4570

I just want to see what you guys think. I'm thinking that if the republican party doesn't change it is going to loose. The population is changing and I think the republicans will no longer have the votes to do anything.
I don't claim to be an expert.

Well, the last 20 years or so, the party seems to be trying to move as far to the left as they can without passing up the Democrats.

The truth of the matter is that we have problems, BIG problems. The government is pretending there is a never ending supply of money available, and that won't hurt anything. I'm also afraid the tipping point has happened, the number of voters that want the government to give them other people's money has passed the 50% mark.

We'll see, but I see Ted Cruz and some others as rising stars. Maybe they can force the party to the right. Reagan had it right on this one.

Take 2 and a half minutes, it's worth it.

Bold Colors - No Pale Pastels - YouTube

Bold Colors - No Pale Pastels - YouTube

[IceAxe]

Originally Posted by nursetim

To directly answer your question irrespective of other replies, yes. They are no longer conservative. On a linear continuum 0-100. Where 0 is communism/facism and anarchism is 100, the Republican Party used to be around 60 and democrats 40. The way I see it now is the rp is now 40 and the dp 15-20 (being generous here). Is the tea party the replacement of the former rp? It certainly seems to be more conservative than the present day rp. So yes, they need to either complete their journey left and meld into the dp or come back to their conservative roots.

Very well said and saved me a lot of typing (Thanks Tim!). All this talk about getting the GOP to embrace socially liberal platforms will only hasten their demise. Dump the blue-bloods and the spineless and move hard to the right... or fade into obscurity as they've been doing.

[jakebrake]

Originally Posted by beforeobamabans

I just don't think the two party system is going to be overturned by the LP. They've been around a long time and not made a dent. We need something fresh and new. WHIGS?

the problem with the liberterian party is the average liberterian. if you talk to half of these folks, they suond like disjointed loons. (if this offends you, ask yourself honestly if i'm right)

can the liberterian party do it? hell yes. and now is the time. the r's are disgusted, the actual d's are pretty raunched out by what they have become. (jfk dems....is obama really what you are about?) and there is no rock star in either party for the upcoming elections.

but....you'd need someone with a track record, that is well spoken, and not going to be undone by the shirtless, standing on a corner screaming, holding up a gary johnson...legalize it, homemade sign. (swear to god....day before the election, any s.e.pa residents would know this intersection 132&263)

and that person has got to be gray. look at perot.( 2 words undid him. "you people"... he became a "racist" in 2 words). not a whole lot of info outside of his record.

[jakebrake]

Originally Posted by engineer151515

You need to teach and effectively sell that concept to 47% of Americans that effectively pay no Federal income tax.

that is a huge part of the problem.

disaster? let the.gov fix it...look it just got bigger!

you are too lazy to work? no problem! the .gov will take your worries away! and look, it just grew ten-fold!

people have had the "gimme" mentality bred into them.

[Syclone538]

Originally Posted by beforeobamabans

The GOP is one defection away from irrelevancy. If a charismatic young conservative such as Marco Rubio were to run on the Constitutional Party, the GOP would be toast. The road back has to be toward smaller government and stricter constitutionalism, not toward the democrats.

Originally Posted by beforeobamabans

I just don't think the two party system is going to be overturned by the LP. They've been around a long time and not made a dent. We need something fresh and new. WHIGS?

I agree that the LP isn't going to change much, and I vote for them more then everyone else combined.

But, what makes the CP better? I won't vote for someone that thinks the world is <10,000 years old, and I doubt I'm the only one.

[nursetim]

Originally Posted by IceAxe

Very well said and saved me a lot of typing (Thanks Tim!). All this talk about getting the GOP to embrace socially liberal platforms will only hasten their demise. Dump the blue-bloods and the spineless and move hard to the right... or fade into obscurity as they've been doing.

Care must be taken that we do not overshoot the goal and swing to far to the right. We need to check ourselves.

[Cavalry Doc]

Originally Posted by Syclone538

I agree that the LP isn't going to change much, and I vote for them more then everyone else combined.

But, what makes the CP better? I won't vote for someone that thinks the world is <10,000 years old, and I doubt I'm the only one.

So religious purging is your number one issue? That's sort of short sighted. Kind of like not helping someone bail water out of the sinking lifeboat you are in because they had the audacity to mutter a prayer in your presence.

Look at the exit polls listing the number one issue. The economy. The problem is that 51% of the voters think the solution to the economy is to give them other people's money.

I voted for more libertarians than Republicans this time around. There were a lot of judges running in the last election. Not a lot of Dems ran at all. So, I voted libertarian on every race I saw without an opposing Dem.

[IceAxe]

Originally Posted by nursetim

Care must be taken that we do not overshoot the goal and swing to far to the right. We need to check ourselves.

Concur - I don't want an Authoritarian-Right government any more than I want an Authoritarian-Left one and pendulum swings often do overcompensate. A few years ago I wouldn't have said move "hard" to the right, I'd have said "nudge" back to the right.