The Republican party today is in much the same state that the Democrats were in 1981. They have recently lost an election to a carasmatic and popular guy, who's party rode his coatails onto power. Like the Democrats of the 80's the G O P is smaller, angry, and divided. The reason for this is that the G O P stopped doing the will of the majority of Americans, and despite a clear warning in the 2006 election, blindly pushed for a far right, narrow minded, ultraconservative agenda. The G O P has yet to acknolowlege:
1. Most Americans want healthcare for all (even if it means more taxes)
2. Most American's want American troops out of Iraq ASAP
3. Most Americans are unhappy with the way Bush and Co. oversold the need to invade Iraq
4. Most American's are unhappy with the way the deregulation policies and lack of oversight of Regan, Bush Sr, and Bush Jr. have caused the American financial system to tank.
5. Most Americans are unhappy with the G O P's silly attempts to cloak themselves in a viel of Christian purity, while one G O P lawmaker after another is caught having affairs with men and women (both young and old)
6. Most Americans remember that the last President who balanced a budget, and gave America it's last budget surplus was William Jefferson Clinton.
The G O P will rise again politically one day. They will have some self eximanation to do first, but eventually they will emerge wiser, more moderate, less arrogent, and more responsive to the will of most Americans.
Republicans today will of course, try to pick apart what I've said here, nevertheless I've been watching politics for over 35 years, and in time they'll be forced to admit I'm right. 😏
Originally posted by bill718I'm not sure that's true. You seem to envision a cyclical nature to American politics, where parties alternate popularity every decade or so. I don't think that's the way it is at all. The whole "Reagan Revolution" was a reaction against FDR's New Deal policies, which had continued, more or less unabated, since the 1930s. That reaction (even through the Clinton administration) has had its day. The moral bankruptcy of "free" trade, privatization, and the general dismantling of the New Deal has been made apparent. But its roots have been sunk deep. It will take a long time to remove them, but it will happen inevitably. The march toward the full realization of the New Deal will re-commence. And this time the Republicans will be down for the count. With the steady rise of secularism in this country, they will cease to exist within 50 years. The Republicans are going to go the way of the Whigs and be supplanted by something else. Mark it down, you heard it here first.
The Republican party today is in much the same state that the Democrats were in 1981. They have recently lost an election to a carasmatic and popular guy, who's party rode his coatails onto power. Like the Democrats of the 80's the G O P is smaller, angry, and divided. The reason for this is that the G O P stopped doing the will of the majority of Americans, ...[text shortened]... ching politics for over 35 years, and in time they'll be forced to admit I'm right. 😏
The GOP needs to become the party of fiscal responsibility - with an intense focus on balancing the budget and reducing the national debt. A lot of Americans are concerned about the current budget projections. But voters will not have any faith in any of the republicans who were part of the Congress or administration during the Bush years. They were the model of fiscal recklessness. So the party is going to need to recruit a lot of new people.
The party also needs to stop being the "government is evil" party. They can lay out their vision where the government is smaller and the taxes are lower -- BUT that government needs to be an effective one that carries out its tasks with the highest level of excellence. And they need to stop being the "we hope Obama fails" party. The whole thing sounds like the sour grapes you expect from a sixth grader after not getting the lead role in the school play.
As for Iraq, I think most Americans want to see a successful democracy emerge there -- especially after seeing the passion displayed by so many Iranians. Underneath the rhetoric, I sense that the two parties aren't that much different right now in their Iraq policies.
Will the GOP go the way of the Whigs? -- If they insist on maintain their current mindset, it could happen. But I suspect that if they suffer another election rout in 2010, the party will finally realize it needs a major overhaul. The worst thing might be if the GOP makes a small gain in 2010 and thinks they're doing fine.
Originally posted by rwingettI'd like to see what you describe actually happen...I doubt it will though.😏
I'm not sure that's true. You seem to envision a cyclical nature to American politics, where parties alternate popularity every decade or so. I don't think that's the way it is at all. The whole "Reagan Revolution" was a reaction against FDR's New Deal policies, which had continued, more or less unabated, since the 1930s. That reaction (even through the Cli ...[text shortened]... f the Whigs and be supplanted by something else. Mark it down, you heard it here first.