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227 Comments
- inactive, on 01/30/2009, -4/+110Republicans need to return to their core values before they can "sell" their core values.
Government has grown more and faster under the last three Republican Presidents than it has under the Democrats.
The future of the Republican Party must be a trend towards more libertarianism, but hat won't happen with the Washington crowd that runs the party. Maybe the party needs to go the way of the Whigs and be replaced by the Libertarians - emailowndme, on 01/30/2009, -7/+90Step 1: Stop Catering to the crazy fundamentalists.
Step 2: Stop Catering to the Corporations in our country that are ruining our middle class.
Step 3: Find a better platform than fear.
No ?????
Profit.
Conservatism is fine, and necessary, I don't pretend that complete socialism can solve all of America's problems, there needs to be balance. I can understand economic conservatism, but understand, social conservatism is nothing more than a guise for anti-intellectualism, fear mongering, and bigotry. - presidentraygun, on 01/30/2009, -11/+69The republican party is a diverse party - it welcomes with open arms, white fundamentalists, white racists, white southerners and white rich men.
- inactive, on 01/30/2009, -7/+63Jefferson's Republican Party believed in individual freedoms, limited government, and protecting civil liberties. Nowhere do I see those values in today's "Republican Party" (if it can even be considered that). Social conservatism runs rampant and government's power is grown. Civil liberties are completely ignored so we can serve the neocon agenda of interventionism. If Jefferson could see where his party is now he'd be sick to his stomach.
Bring back the true Republican Party and you'll have your base back. Social and neoconservatism has proven to be a failed idea, so it's time to go back to actually being a party of the people. - TheEngineer2008, on 01/30/2009, -2/+54FTA: "McConnell said Republicans need to sell their core principles to voters who’ve left the party by better explaining their ideas and the “practical benefits they promise for people of every class or race in every corner of the country.”"
Well, at least he recognizes there is a problem (the rest of the GOP leadership seems to be blaming "media bias"). That's a start. However, I think their problem now is not a failure to sell or articulate their core principles. Rather, IMO two problems are their failure to HAVE core principles, and their failure to live up to their stated principles. We've been telling them for years, but have been greeted with jeers and name-calling for our efforts. At long last we were heard loud and clear -- on Election Day. - rsbryswrrl, on 01/30/2009, -9/+53What, you mean the poor and middle classes are starting to wake up and realize that the Republicans don't give a ***** about them? That they only care about themselves and their rich cronies? Unpossible...
- badqat, on 01/30/2009, -6/+43Uh, hey Mitch...since the whole "Ditch Mitch" campaign was unsuccessful, you're the de facto leader of the Republican party...don't warn, DO. And if you cannot, allow someone else to have your job.
- Dralha, on 01/30/2009, -10/+43Given that the republican party consists entirely of psychopaths, from radical christian extremists to anti-gay bigots to pollution-loving reality denialists to anarchy-loving libertarian corporatists, the GOP should not only become a REGIONAL minority party, but a PERMANENT minority party.
- TheEngineer2008, on 01/30/2009, -0/+32Bush's insane deficit spending wiped those memories quite clean.
- TheEngineer2008, on 01/30/2009, -1/+30Again with the "what about them." How does your comment address Caferrell's concerns? Do you just insult everyone who disagrees with you?
- pintomp3, on 01/30/2009, -5/+33Try not being the party of hate.
- inactive, on 01/30/2009, -6/+33People were saying the same thing about the Democrats four or five years ago. I wouldn't count the Republicans out for good, but they will be in the wilderness for at least the next two, probably the next four years.
"McConnell called on the GOP to push back against labels that have hurt the party in the past — anti-immigrant, anti-union and anti-environment — and to regain taxpayers’ trust that they support limited government spending."
The average coastal moderate doesn't care as much about the GOP being anti-union as they do about ***** like Bush cramming their Bronze Age mythology down our throats. They're all for limited government unless women's rights are involved. They're all for state's rights unless a state allows gay marriage. - inactive, on 01/30/2009, -0/+26The Republican Party was founded in the 1850's due to the Whig Party fracturing over slavery. Jefferson's Republican Party (a.k.a. Democratic-Republicans) turned into Andrew Jackson's Democratic Party.
- inactive, on 01/30/2009, -3/+28Rush Limbaugh is now the leader of Republican party. They will do what he says. And he clearly hates immigrants and minorities. So feel-good McConnell have no say on the issue.
- inactive, on 01/30/2009, -6/+30The republicans ignored the wishes of the people for the last 12 years or so. Instead they filled their pockets and started wars. I can not ever vote for any republican again after all the lies they can not be trusted anymore.
- inactive, on 01/30/2009, -3/+25Rush Limbaugh is now leader of Republican party. McConnell won't dare upset their glorious leader.
- TheEngineer2008, on 01/30/2009, -1/+23"GW Bush just led the world to liberate some 50 Million in Iraq and Afghanistan."
Why do you think it's our job to liberate the world, especially for people who didn't ask for the help? - TheEngineer2008, on 01/30/2009, -0/+20I never said the Democrats were any better. As for me, I voted Libertarian and am a small-government conservative/libertarian (small "L"). So, your answer to every question about the GOP --"what about them?" -- isn't sufficient, nor will it get the GOP any votes. It's time for the GOP to tell us what they plan to do, not to just attack the opposition.
That being said, I'm serious when I ask about their principles. This is what I'd like to see from the GOP:
• Lose the big government social conservatism. It's hard for the party to claim it believes in small government when it's busy forcing banks to censor the Internet to stop adults from playing poker in their own homes with their own money. It also looks hypocritical for the GOP to oppose liberal big government initiatives when the GOP leadership has a big government plan for every moral issue. Social conservatives should always feel welcome in the GOP, but they'll have to realize that our goal should be to prevent government from infringing on our values, rather than using big government to promote those values.
• Kick out the neocons and lose the dream of a U.S. empire. With them gone, the GOP can welcome back traditional, limited government conservatives and others who'll flock to the message of self-reliance and liberty. Expand the party to include those who made up the traditional GOP coalition.
• Be the party of limited government
• Be fiscally responsible
• Stop trying to expand the power of the Executive Branch. We're supposed to be strict constructionists. Let's act like it.
• Follow the Constitution, especially with regards to states rights. - lisaawesome, on 01/30/2009, -1/+20I can't exactly feel bad for them when the GOP did this to itself. It seems like their entire focus in the past few elections is the evangelical movement. Every other interest is cast aside to cater to the Bible thumping, anti-abortion, anti-gay rights, anti-environmentalism (god will take care of it) crowd while the rest of America is looked down upon as not "true" Americans. When you start catering to a minority group exclusively what the ***** do you think is going to happen?
- Tyrghast, on 01/30/2009, -2/+20The GOP becoming a minority party is probably the best thing that could happen to it or America. Among fair-minded individuals it's become associated with bigotry and hate of an unprecedented scale. We need more than two parties to represent the modern America.
- yosserhughes, on 01/30/2009, -1/+16I think one of the GOPs defining moments in their eight years reign was the Terry Schiavo affair.
They used this poor woman as a political football for no other reason than to score points with their fundamentalist base.
If you want to know the GOP, look to this incident. - pintomp3, on 01/30/2009, -5/+20He demands a suitcase of oxycontin and a shaved goat as homage.
- Ajajadude, on 01/30/2009, -2/+17I think the problem is that their "core values" are becoming relatively unimportant. If my neighbor's wife or one of my co-workers is allowed to get an abortion, does that mean I'll lose my job or terrorists can attack this country? Same thing with gay marriage and most of the GOP's other values that they focus on. There are far more important things that have been happening in the past few months and the past several years that have an impact on all of our lives that need to be focused on.
Taking away people's ability to have choices in certain matters means nothing if the country is in ruins. - presidentraygun, on 01/30/2009, -5/+20Well, I am a republican.
- inactive, on 01/30/2009, -2/+16I love how people like you take liberal sound bites and insert your own syntax.
We are very intolerant of bigots, extremists, and hypocrites. Our bad. - pintomp3, on 01/30/2009, -0/+14And those racists fled to the Republican party when the Democrats supported civil rights legislation.
- Homerr, on 01/30/2009, -2/+15I'd suggest the GOP start acting in integrity - the 'up is down, black is white' stuff has to stop; and things like whining to the press after the vote stimulus vote yesterday about how they had no input - when they offered no input.
- rz8472, on 01/30/2009, -0/+13"They're a pretty monolithic party. Pretty much, they all behave the same, and they all look the same. ... It's pretty much a white Christian party."
-Howard Dean - hsoj, on 01/30/2009, -0/+12If they do, I'll start voting for them again. Otherwise, I tend to vote for Libertarian candidates (though I do consider every candidate and try to compare their records).
Oh and totally overhaul the social positions already. I know it got you a lot of rural white votes but you're killing the party and just plain alienating a lot of us who agree with core Republican values. - Dustin00, on 01/30/2009, -0/+11No. You WANT that to be the debate.
But it is a women's rights issue.
It is her body first. Her capacity to share it to create another being is her individual choice. - AndrewMoyer, on 01/30/2009, -1/+12Roe v. Wade
There... glad that's settled. - ileftfark, on 01/30/2009, -3/+14Traditionally, conservatism stood for smaller government and less Federal intervention, which are two ideas that I think most diggers can handle. What happened was that along the way, the Fed has hijacked nearly all processes that once fell under the jurisdiction of States' Rights (speed limits, definition of intoxication, etc), under the persuasion of lobbyists and special interest groups. This necessarily took the decision-making process out of the peoples' hands and effectively gave power to Congress to make the decisions for us behind closed doors and without the scrutiny of 1,000-page bills that really dealt with one topic and was just filled with pork that many times had greater implications than the bill's primary topic. Whether or not you agree with this systemic change is a moot point at this stage, but the direct result is that politicians no longer have to win you over with policy, as we don't have much of a say in the policies implemented. The game has changed into pandering to religion (or the lack thereof) and general stances on social issues, whether or not the politicians have any plans to make any changes based on such. In an unfortunate decision for the GOP, they chose to cater to Evangelicals, so-called "NASCAR Dads", and the good ol' boys club for their support. I say unfortunate, because these groups tend to vote a straight party line on all issues, leaving the party unchecked (bad for us), and that they are increasingly becoming the minority, as the younger crowd ushers in a new age of demographics, filled with working-to-middle class people who are not part of the niches the GOP has carved out for themselves (bad for them). It's clear that the day of politicians for policy is over, and politicians for social strategies has replaced it. The GOP is going to have to re-think their constituency if they plan on ever winning anything big ever again. And they very well may, as some of the 'new stars' of the Republican party happen to be younger, educated, more in touch, and hell, even Indian-American. I think it's important to have at least two relevant parties (more would be optimal), because it is very dangerous to leave one party in full control, unchecked. The future shall prove to be quite interesting in this regard.
- OldSkoolSlacker, on 01/30/2009, -0/+11That Bronze Age mythology thing is what's kicking them in the butt at every turn.
To regain their footing, they are going to have to ditch the charismatic, extreme right, evangelical Christians; or they are doomed.
It was always assumed, on the GOP's part, that since the vast majority of Americans profess to be Christian (be it Catholic, Protestant, Mormon, etc.), if you courted the Christian leaders, the flock would follow. And it worked for awhile... until the Sunday-only Christians noticed what happened when the extremest evangelicals got an influencing hand on the government. They wound up with a xenophobic government hell bent on regulating morality. They ended up alienating, marginalizing, demonizing and ostracizing whole groups of minorities, left and right.
When the coasts figured out what the deep south meant by deeply religious, they jumped ship. And it makes perfect sense too. Religion is all about chastity and REGULATION! The GOP discovered that's what their core supporters wanted - moral regulation... on every front (abortion, drugs, marriage, religion, alcohol, tobacco, video games, the internet, music, television, pornography, and on and on). Then add to that the unions, environmentalists, and the immigrants; and the only thing you have left is white, southern charismatic evangelicals who want to regular the moral behavior of everything that moves - because that's what Jesus would do.
If they want people back, they are going to have to ditch the religious extremest. The charismatic evangelicals will scream and cry, they will predict and even pray for God's retribution; but in the end, the GOP's true desire for power will push them to ditch the extreme right. In other words, be sensible and inclusive. - brstilson, on 01/30/2009, -0/+11Jefferson founded the Democratic Party. He also increased the size and scope of the federal government and used the newly-formed federally-run central bank to buy Louisiana from France, doubling the physical size of the country.
- Tyrghast, on 01/30/2009, -0/+11Only if you're still living in the 1890s
- Tyrghast, on 01/30/2009, -0/+10Dugg for presenting hardcore evangelicals and 'christians' as a minority. They really truly are a minority yet they permeate a majority of government, it's all very sad.
- alextripp, on 01/30/2009, -0/+10"The future of the Republican Party must be a trend towards more libertarianism, but hat won't happen with the Washington crowd that runs the party."
Holy *****, you don't even know how much i aggree with this statement. This is exactly what needs to happen. - inactive, on 01/30/2009, -2/+12I don't even think it's a failure to have core principles. It's just that they have their core principles confused. The religious right is at the root of the problem. Ron Paul embodies what the Republican party ought to be: small government and large freedom. And there is still that element in many Republicans. However, bring in the religious right, and political races have become contests between parties who both want to regulate your lives, just in different ways. That said, there is no risk of the party collapsing, it is too big, and the election was not that much of a landslide. Fear of GOP collapse is entirely hype and stupid speculation.
- theDarkGamer, on 01/30/2009, -1/+11The notion that the Republicans are a conservative party is laughable. They have been courting corporatism and zealotry, war-mongering and paying out no-bid contracts, showing brash displays of incompetence and lies. They have sent our national debt skyrocketing and our economy tumbling. They have come closer to turning the United States into a police state than any other group, spying on journalists, opposing civil liberties and promoting torture.
Perhaps they will be replaced by a party that actually believes in smaller government and more liberty. The Republicans had their chance to be that party with Ron Paul, but having ostracized him they have no bright future to look forward upon, only a past to cling fearfully to. This seems like a tremendous opportunity for the Libertarian party if they should choose to capitalize on it.
"Fiscal Conservatism": http://bcclist.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/nationa ... - inactive, on 01/30/2009, -2/+12Somehow the words "GOP" & "minority" & "party" don't seen to go together in a sentence, if you know what I mean. Yes, I know this article meant #'s and not ethinicities, I'm just sayin'...
Their big tent is actually a pup tent for white guys and token women and ethnic minorities. - Pxtl, on 01/30/2009, -1/+10You wish. Did you see the massive bump that the Republican party got from Palin last time around? Notice: a moderate like McCain was rejected. A nincompoop like GWB who played to the the republican religious core was elected twice, despite his performance.
As much as you want the Republican party to become libertarians, it ain't going to happen - they get too much power from their aw-shucks religious contingent. - SuckItUp, on 01/30/2009, -7/+16More Ron Paul, Less Mitch. Easy as that.
- ashwinmudigonda, on 01/30/2009, -1/+10Mitch, start by eschewing, imprisoning and castrating the following: Bill, Rush, Sean & Ann (yes). Then we talk.
- pintomp3, on 01/30/2009, -1/+10He also screams about enforcing the war on drugs despite his drug abuse.
- julesbond007, on 01/30/2009, -1/+10The republican party doesn't have a core. They bank on ignorance and division. If Obama succeeds, I assure you that there will be less republicans in the House and Senate. After all they don't matter much now unless a bill needs 2/3 of the vote.
- rironin, on 01/30/2009, -1/+9"As Republicans, we know that common-sense conservative principles aren’t regional. But I think we have to admit that our sales job has been."
*****. I respect a lot (though not all) "common-sense conservative principles". The Republican Party's problem isn't an inability to sell their principles; it's an inability to UPHOLD their principles, in any way shape or form. - youliveinfear, on 01/30/2009, -1/+9The republican party is almost all social conservatives now. However, the good news for the republican party is that people have short memories. Fiscal conservatives will eventually get suckered back. But for now, the religious extremists are basically alone with some other fringe groups and "lesser of two evil" voters.
- AndrewMoyer, on 01/30/2009, -1/+9Yeah, we're not going to make you (for example) get drunk, or smoke weed, or have abortions, or disavow your religious beliefs and listen to science...
But we would like the ability to make those choices for ourselves.
Bigots! Go be Amish if you want to be a social conservative; live on your own, and let the rest of us have our freedoms. - ibeetle, on 01/30/2009, -1/+8What is really funny is his last two ex-wives were of hispanic desent.
So when he screams about all these immigrants he is being a wee bit hypocritical. - Insightful, on 01/30/2009, -2/+9Although I agree partially with you, you are buried for inaccuracy by calling Bush a liberal.
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