When the Repub Party is obliterated, how will they re-create themselves?

[kentuck]

Will they be even more radical and crazy than they are at present ? Or will they take a more moderate approach, with less emphasis on social issues like abortion and gay rights? Or will they just be pissed and start fighting each other to extinction? (Could we be so lucky? :)) Or will they re-group with a more determined coalition but under a different leader than Bush? How will they react?

[R3dD0g]

1. There will be a great battle in the Repuke party.

The evangelicals, those who live in a 'faith based reality' will go one way. The fiscal conservatives will go another.

They will end up eating their young and it will be great fun to watch.

[w4rma]

5. fundamentalists, not evangelicals (nt)

[Kierkegaard]

2. They'll reinvent themselves as puritans, replete with bonnets

and really ugly leggings.

[swag]

3. I hope the true rational conservatives come to the fore,

elbow out the neo-cons and religious nuts that have taken over, and restore the listening and the reason to their voice in the national debate.

But I know that is probably fantasy-based.

I am a liberal, but I don't think all conservatives or Republicans are full of shit.

But I am rather down on them for what they have allowed their party and their discourse to become.

[DireStrike]

4. I think true conservatives will SEEM to win.

But they will be filled with closet neocons and bible bangers who lie and deny it. Only their actions will betray them, despite "thou shalt not lie."

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. I think that

many Republicans will go to the Libertarians or Constitution Party.

[mikehiggins]

7. They will shed the moderates and become a crypto fascist

amalgam of Taliban-like Christian moralist right-wing radicals.

The more moderate GOPers will be forced to join a third party, i.e. Constitution Party or Libertarian Party, unless they decide to jump ship entirely and join the Dems.

The people who have led the GOP into this imbroglio are not going to just give up when they've spent the last forty years getting to this point. I was a conservative in my youth and I can bear witness to the fact that nothing will stop this movement except a stake in the heart. They truly beleive they are destined to reshape AMerica in their image, truly bad news for gays, jews, catholics and all sorts of other folks.

This is no joke, dude. The moderates have been a beard on the creature beneath, but one election isn't going to overturn a movement that has been single-mindedly following the same agenda since the first John Bircher picked up a 'merican flag.

[annabanana]

9. that would be easier to deal with than what's now........

When they stand naked, their ugliness will marginalize them.

[Cyrano]

12. I'm afraid I agree.

The crazies aren't going away if Kerry wins.

They will become more extremist, more radical and, assuming it's possible, more insane.

There have always been those whose sole purpose in life is, pillage, plunder and spitting on the poor, unfortunate and disabled. Fortunately, for the past couple of decades, they have not been able to rally enough insane people behind them.

But modern PR tactics, and misguided religious zealotry have given these thugs a weapon that it's hard to defend against.

Basically, these pricks have an advantage over decency. But it was ever thus.

[FrankenforMN]

8. Pat Buchanan will take the reigns and kick all the neo-cons in the ass n/t

[Cyrano]

13. Pardon me, but are you out of your mind???

Pat Buchanan is probably one of the few people left on this planet who still celebrates Hitler's birthday.

[FrankenforMN]

16. I was being sarcastic. Calm down.

[Must_B_Free]

10. They'll infect and ruin the Democrat party

[LiberalAndProud]

15. Just like they have infected the Methodist church

[ZombieNixon]

11. They will split into three factions

The fundo wackos (Santorum, Pat Robertson), the neo-cons (Cheney, Rove, et. al.) and the fiscal conservatives (McCain, Hagel). The neo-cons, who are in control of the leadership, will be discredited and (could we be so lucky) disappear as a force in American politics. A few fundo wackos could go off and join the Constitution party. If Kerry manages to pull off a balanced budget, some fiscal conservatives could actually join the Democrat. The remaining fundo-wackos will be left in control of a party that has been discredited and swept of the stage of American politics. It will take them about 20 years to reorganize their party. My guess is the new Republican party will emerge as a bunch of brown shirts running a neo-fascist candidate in 2032.

[MADem]

14. Maybe Ralph Nader will get his wish

And they will split into two or three parties.

I can't see the moderate New England GOP types going for that crazy fundie shit, or the uberneocon nonsense, either. Basically, the New England GOP is a faction that supports paying one's bills on time, not overspending, not bloating the government with absurd programs, and ensuring a strong defense. A little more emphasis on social programs and they'd be Democrats!