What's Next for the Republican Party?

[Ben]

The GOP's Misplaced Rage:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/article...aced-rage.html

[giovanni_hotel]

It's hilarious to see how the Tea baggers are single handedly destroying the GOP.
Those pricks all run as Republicans, then get in office and disassociate from the party.

The GOP should have seen how radical these nutters were from a mile away and refused to let them run on the party's brand.
If the Tea baggers are the wave of the conservative future, they should have gone it alone as an independent party.

[fivekatz]

The Tea Party is a pretty interesting movement, largely fueled by big money donors like the Koch's and openly fueling anger without any of the nuance for public policy or political process that the earlier "wedge movements" that created the Republican voting coalitions from 1968-2004.

But in a larger view and in the spirit of the OP, we probably should not read too much into the defeats of the 2012 election cycle any more than 2008 signaled a sea change in US politics. Granted the GOP certainly is fumbling most post election issues right now and to many of us are on the wrong side of the tide of history.

But OTOH the success of 08 and 12 had much to do with Obama. Not just Barack Obama himself but that the organization he had. In presidential years more people vote and Obama's folks brought coat tails with them in their ability to get out the vote.

And when one party largely represents 1% of the populace and depends on sturring the worst nature in the souls of others to win, big turnout is bad.

Whether progressive candidates can drive similar turnouts of the young voters and people of color will be seen in 2014. Whether it is 2014 or later, at some point the GOP will need to evolve many of its social positions or become the Whigs. The demographics of the nation are changing and the value of the wedge issues that have been the wrapper for a core of policies that benefit the 1% are not compelling to the changing population.

As for the Tea Party going it alone, it would be like Ralph Nader in 2000 on steroids. It would bleed votes from GOP candidates and insure victory for Dems, who are even more distasteful to Tea Baggers than moderate GOPers are IMHO.

[Ben]

Hopefully Rick Perry runs again...

Rick Perry Takes On Madonna Over Boy Scouts' Gay Ban:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...p_ref=politics

[Ben]

[buttslinger]

What's next for the Republicans?
HILLARY!!!!!

And she'll be grinding her axe from DAY ONE.

[Willie Escalade]

Future President Clinton doesn't take any shit lol!

[buttslinger]

Future President Clinton doesn't take any shit lol!

This time it's personal!!!

[Stavros]

In this article in today's Telegraph the Channel 4 news presenter Cathy Newman refers to Mrs Clinton's
comments in Toronto to a supposedly ‘private’ audience over the weekend: "Hypothetically speaking, I really do hope that we have a woman president in my lifetime. And whether it's next time or the next time after that, it really depends on women stepping up and subjecting themselves to the political process, which is very difficult."

But then adds:
But what if we're all missing the point? It seems to me that Mrs Clinton's Toronto comments might point to a different scenario: skip a generation and install her daughter Chelsea in the White House. People in the know tell me this is exactly what's happening behind the scenes. Yes, ‘mom’ will run, but if that presidential bid doesn't work out, Chelsea will be perfectly placed to make history instead.


I don't think Mrs Clinton will run, for health reasons. As for Chelsea, she will need to develop a political career in -presumably- the Senate before she runs for the White House, if she does (suppose she becomes pregnant in the next four years?).

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/wom...-campaign.html


And I do think Americans may wonder about political dynasties this time around, and not just because of the claim that Hilllary Clinton is really George H Bush's secret love-child. This web-site is one of the most bizarre conspiracy sites I have wasted some moments on; apart from the 'Walt Disney is Adolf Hitler' routine it claims Bing Crosby is really Adolf Eichmann; Margaret Thatcher was a Kennedy, and Hillary Clinton the daughter of George HW Bush, the one who supposedly died of leukemia. Unless the site is a joke. Problem is some people believe this stuff.
http://www.wellaware1.com/bush.shtml

[Willie Escalade]

Problem is some people believe this stuff.
http://www.wellaware1.com/bush.shtml

Of course people do. Exhibit A: Birthers.