Why the GOP is doomed - my assessment

[sampsonblk]

Its not about the candidates, so much as the environment. The GOP spent a lot of its efforts on party-building, even as our party focused its efforts on short-term election strategies. As a result, the GOP forged a favorable place in the public mind: they are a party of beliefs, we are a party that just wants to win the next election.

But the GOP movement was never sustainable. Their politicians are far too smart to believe in what the rank and file GOP voters believe in. But they've been all too wiling to pretend to believe. All that was ever needed was a persistent opposition, or an event that exposed their fraud. Iraq and Katrina cooked their goose pretty good.

So what are they left with? God, guns and gays again. And tax cuts. But because their credibility is shot, less people are willing to go along with their absurd agendas in these areas. So they are screwed.

Rudy Giuliani can't save them. The pro-life wackos will refuse him.
Romney can't save them. The fundies won't back him - even against Hillary.
John McCain is finished. He picked the wrong horse, and now his credibility is gone.
Fred Thompson isn't the savior either. But even if he gets the nomination, he's fighting an uphill battle, taking the narrow GOP point of view, and President Clinton, folks just don't want to hear that stuff anymore.

Even if we nominate a candidate that unifies the GOP, they are still working with a shrunken slice of the pie. There aren't enough haters on their side to get them to 270 EVs. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17150019/)

So I firmly believe that it doesn't matter who we nominate. We are going to have a Dem president in Jan 2009. The issue is whether we are going to grow up and become a party about something, or if we're going to continue to be the political strategy party.

If we stand for something (bringing back the US Constitution, for example), we could conceivably destroy the GOP for years to come. If not, then we are just waiting around for the GOP to recover and take power again.

[C_U_L8R]

1. And they have zero appeal to the young vote,

the elderly vote, the hispanic vote, the african american vote, women's votes...

[sampsonblk]

8. Absolutely

So they appealed to those voters with broad national themes, like "keep more of the money you earn," "fight them over there so you don't have to fight them over here" and that type of garbage. Once that's washed away, they've got nothing left.

[Perry Logan]

2. I think we should run a dog for President in 2008, just to show we can do it.

[Cobalt-60]

5. An excellent suggestion

I nominate an Akita.
he might as well look good while he's lying on the oval office floor.

[Double T]

3. Never count the gop out; desperate as they are, they're capable of anything........

when there's an election to be won.

[Perry Logan]

4. Not quite. They will do only what their cowardice and stupidity allow, i.e., doodley-squat.

[nevergiveup]

6. In my opinion

Rudy will get the nomination and all Repubs will rally to the cause. They always do. Rudy will be very strong with independents and Hillary will have a tough time beating him. This is of course assuming Hillary wins the Democratic primary. I had a friend tell me yesterday that he couldn't wait to get these bandits out of the White House but of course he will still be voting Republican. Dissatisfaction does not necessarily indicate folks are going to be rushing to vote Democratic and this is especially true if Hillary gets the nod. She would probably be a fine president but she has way too many negatives. Her only chance would be if the Repubs are foolish enough to nominate someone like Newt or Brownback.

[sampsonblk]

9. The numbers don't support your view (yet)

There are a large number of GOP voters who believe its sinful to vote for a candidate who is pro-choice. While they are not going to vote for a Dem as you say, they will not go out and vote for Rudy, and they certainly won't volunteer for him. Any GOP nominee is screwed without an energized effort by the fundies. Those clowns don't want a campaign, they want a revival.

I haven't noticed our pie slice increasing (yet). There is something(s) we aren't doing right. But the GOP slice has shrunk dramatically. That's where I am coming from.

[sampsonblk]

7. Correction: "...and even if he's as skilled as President Clinton..."

Typo there. I meant to say "Fred Thompson isn't the savior either. But even if he gets the nomination, he's fighting an uphill battle, taking the narrow GOP point of view, and even if he's ask skilled as President Clinton, folks just don't want to hear that stuff anymore."

My bad.