The End of the Republican Party

[saberjet22]

AN EMPTY CAN MAKES THE MOST NOISE


After watching the behavior of the Teabaggers for several months I have come to the inescapable conclusion that they are nothing more than a gang of fourth grade bullies. They are uneducated beyond rudimentary communication skills, which leads them to be bigoted and susceptible to mass delusions. They are easily programmed, as can be seen by their signs (many misspelled) and their chants, which are often ludicrous. (Health Care Equals Tyranny).
Their existence and apparent flourishing are symptoms of the dissolution of the Republican party. This process is not an overnight collapse. It began with Nixon and really hit its stride with the illegal accession to the presidency of George the Stupid in 2000. But it is clear; the Republican party is disintegrating before our eyes. They have no leaders, they have no morals, they have no platform and no constructive ideas. They do have plenty of perverts and hypocrites. Not a week goes by when the public is not presented with a new Republican sex scandal.
The party is desperately trying to hold on to its “base,” which at this point is anyone who’ll vote for them, which is why the Republicans are welcoming the Teabaggers, who have found a home among the desperate and corrupt political hacks, which is all the Republican party has left.
It seems that all the Republicans can do now is obstruct anything and everything Democratic, hoping to prevent any progress from being made, in order to make the claim that the Democrats are ineffective, therefore people should vote Republican in the next election. This tactic wouldn’t fool a five-year-old.
So who do they have left? Sarah Palin (a money-hungry fool), Rush Limbo (an overblown bigot) Glenn Beck (a crazy idiot), and Michele Bachmann (Hahahahaha). I don’t think any of them is capable of saving the Republican party. What we’ll see eventually is a weakened Republican party, (having finally repudiated the Teabagger Klan) too damaged to do anything, trying desperately to get back to the middle of the road, and the formation of a third party for the Teabaggers and assorted nutjobs, conspiracy fans and tin-foil hatters .

[opihimoimoi]

1. KnR....BINGO.... TOUCHDOWN .....GOAL......HOME RUN.....

[happygoluckytoyou]

67. IN A RELATED STORY...Dick Cheney says "if you think we are bullies, go hang yourselves!"

[dotymed]

88. But, thanks to the SCOTUS

they will soon have unlimited funds............

[no_hypocrisy]

Touch Screen Voting Machines.

Anyone can be president whomever the monied interests choose until voting can be protected.

[NorthCarolina]

53. Not likely to see any change there,

the machines are functioning as intended.

[Nothing Without Hope]

64. EXACTLY!!! Whoever counts the votes can "win." They've done it before

and they'll do it again if allowed. We all need to remember what damage cornered, desperate, rabid animals can do. They are utterly corrupt and don't care what damage they do.

[provis99]

2. your analysis is exactly right.

[SpiralHawk]

3. But, but, but...The Pope likes the Republicons

and is a STRICT adherent to their, um, peeeCULiar Pharisee Family Values.

That's gotta count for something, doesn't it?

[ColesCountyDem]

135. Does he, now?

He holds all manner of positions that would make him a pariah in today's Repignican Party. Don't be so sure that he 'likes them'.

[secondwind]

4. all fine and good, but.....they are "stirring the pot" just long enough to try and

win elections in November. WE NEED TO ALWAYS FIGHT BACK!

[SkyDaddy7]

48. Exactly!

What appears to be stupid & childish appeals to almost half this nation! We cannot forget this fact! I am not going to get over confident as I still feel very nervous about the upcoming elections.

However, the poster was right on the money when it comes to the Tea Baggers & what motivates them.

[Rozlee]

70. Amen! Remember, this is the country that voted for Bush II twice and whom 48%

voted for empty-headed, money-hungry Palin as President in case Grampy died. And she probably would have been hovering over him like a buzzard everyday, too. He'd probably have hired a food taster and there wouldn't have been a long line of applicants, even in this economy. So, no, don't underestimate--oops! wrong verbiage, I meant to say misunderestimate--the stupidity of the American people. And therein lies the proof. "Misunderestimated" was was used on CBS a month ago or so ago by one of the reporters covering the Chile earthquake and NO ONE FUCKING CORRECTED HIM!!! Bush's lexicon has been absorbed into our modern English and DON'T ANY OF YOU FUCKING BE LAUGHING ABOUT IT, GODDAMN IT!! This, more than anything, illustrates why I don't think that the Republican Party is going gently into the sunset anytime soon. In fact, I think they just might come roaring back stronger than ever. May I make my case, please?

1) What kind of economy will we have once it comes back? No manufacturing base; even our service base is being fed overseas. Example: radiologists in the U.S. might become obsolete. Whenever an X-ray needs to be read, it can just be sent to one in India for a fourth of the cost. It's only being done as a pilot in a couple of hospitals, but expect it to catch fire. Ditto for some of our medical processing and insurance claims. Anything that job that needs to be done from a computer through the internet can be done almost as easily from overseas. Know what I heard some dickwad musing about a few years ago in a letter to Forbes? About how we wouldn't need robotic workers at fast food places to take peoples orders because some guy on an internet voice cam from Pakistan could take the order for $3.00 an hour just as easily and have the screen just print it up for processing for the humanoids to slap together. And the asshat editor replied that there were many applications that could be made in the fucking marketplace for that, including in colleges where students could be taught by teachers from other countries via satellite hookup to large screen interactive TVs. I talked to my nurse practitioner at the VA about this one time. As you can tell, I'm thoroughly obsessed to the point of being a conspiracist about this subject. As a former RN myself, I know that the hands on assessment portion of the process in treating the patient is pretty basic. She does this, takes all my info, asks about any new developments in my condition, status, etc. Then my neurologist comes in, asks me if everything she wrote about was true, goes over it all with me again, then signs for meds or whatever. All which he could do with an electronic signature over the internet which some doctors already do. Which a goddamn doctor in Bangyourcock or India could do talking to you from an interactive satellite screen, too. With a shortage of docs in the U.S., what do you want to bet that if the Rethugs ever get in power again, that they will quell all funds aimed at developing more med schools and educating more docs in the U.S.?

So, my point is (finally), that with a weak economic recovery, the party that was in power, Democrats, will be blamed. Especially by a new generation of voters coming up the pike. And they'd turn to the Rethugs with xoxxs.


2)Whites, especially the white males, will be a minority in a few years. What has ever kept a minority from seizing power? Look at South Africa. Minorities in the U.S. are fragmented. Different separate groups. If you don't believe me, just go ask any Teabagger who he hates. What Spartacus would lead us in our fight for freedom from Teabaggery?

So, no. I don't think Republicans are going anywhere. And if that makes me sound like a conspiracy crazy Gulf War vet, then that's what I am, because these guys have a lot of power and money to pull strings and shape opinions. Just look at how they got Americans to believe an empty suit like Bush II was "presidential" and "statesmanslike" when the guy couldn't win a fight with a pretzel and had the IQ of pond scum.

[deaniac21]

98. As to number 2, whites are 75% of the population right now.

[bluescribbler]

102. You make very good points

Unfortunately. I too believe that the reports of the demise of the Rethuglican Party are premature. They have the backing of the Corporate Masters, and will figure out how to win elections again.

[tabasco]

113. Lest we forget ...

[AlinPA]

5. I won't agree that they are at the end until after November's elections. IMO, they are

gaining strength through the teabaggers, Fox "news" and other MSM. Maybe I'm being taken in by the polls and media reports, but I'm not believing that they are done.

[DearAbby]

14. only 13% of the country consider themselves tea party

"The Tea Party movement is mostly made up of people who consider themselves Republicans," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "They are less educated but more interested in politics than the average Joe and Jane Six-Pack and are not in a traditional sense swing voters."


"The Tea Party could be a Republican dream - or a GOP nightmare. Members could be a boon to the GOP if they are energized to support Republican candidates. But if the Tea Party were to run its own candidates for office, any votes its candidate received would to a very great extent be coming from the GOP column," Brown added.

http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1295.xml?ReleaseID=1436

[HillGal]

131. What are you talking about? we're going to have to face reality, they're a force to be

reckoned with. Did you read what James Carville's said last week on the tea party?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/31/clinton-pollster-if-elect_n_520040.html

And how about this on tea party affiliation?

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/polls/90541-survey-four-in-10-tea-party-members-dem-or-indie

4 out of 10 tea partiers call themselves democrats or independents, no way we can win by demonizing them, just read what Carville has to say about the topic.

[Last Stand]

86. And what didfference does it make what you call your party if all the Liberal issues are voted down?

:shrug:

The Repubs have no new issues because they have essentially implemented their platform already.




"Class Warefare is over. You lost." Warren Buffet

[rhett o rick]

6. This is not good. We need a strong two party system. The conservatives leaving the repub party

are moving into and exerting some control in the Democratic Party. It's the New Democratic Party, conservatives welcome. Why hello Arlen Specter.

[WillyT]

11. My Fear As Well...

We'll have 89 Senators and STILL not get a Public Option... let alone Single Payer.

:shrug:

[rhett o rick]

15. Right. No need for the filibuster. nm

[Wapsie B]

73. Exactly. We need a Democratic Party with a strong Liberal faction,

not more blue dog refugees from the gop.

[tango-tee]

37. What I could envision

would be the teabaggers splitting off from the Republican Party and forming their own, taking other right-wing rabid Republicans with them. The saner Republicans and Conservadems morph into a "Republican" party, while progressive Democrats and those of us who consider themselves on the left of the political spectrum, form a new Democratic party which *really* has the best interests of working people at heart.

But what is truly necessary is campaign reform.

[nadinbrzezinski]

38. 1852 and the Whig party

in the beginning some Whigs moves to the Dems (which was pretty damn conservative, mostly Southern Whigs)

But in the end the party dissolved and enter the GOP.

This is the dynamic.

[NorthCarolina]

54. We have not had a two party system since

the conservative DLC, now referred to as New Dems, assumed control of the Democratic Party.

[Individualist]

77. +1

[Ikonoklast]

56. There have always been conservative Democrats.

You are ignoring history.

The Scoop Jackson wing of the party went for Reagan, and have waffling around the middle ever since.

[rhett o rick]

95. Not sure of your point. Are you happy the republican party is shrinking? and they are

streaming into the Democratic Party? Do you think just because they have a D behind their name all is good?

I think we need a strong two party system. What are your thoughts?

[Eric Condon]

107. There's a word for people who voted for Reagan and who've voted Republican since.

They're called Republicans.

[Myrina]

61. Actually we need a strong 4 or 5 party system.

Either-or choices don't tend to meet everyone's needs.

[caseymoz]

66. There will eventually be another party to replace the Republicans.

It will be centrist. Many of the Blue Dogs will bolt to it.

[rhett o rick]

96. The new party for the conservatives might just be the "New Democratic Party".

The current administration seems to be wooing the conservative repubs (Arlen Specter) and dissing the left. It may not be the so-called centrists that bolt the party.

[caseymoz]

100. But the Democratic Party isn't locked into that strategy for the future.

Especially if there's no more Republican Party. Fact is, without the danger of losing an election to the insanely conservative Republican Party, it's the liberal-progressives who won't need the Democratic Party anymore. So, they'll be free to break off and form their own party.

Now, as the Democratic Party notices that's happening, it will either have to move left to keep them or try to move a to the right to keep the moderate-conservatives (because it's really conservatism that's dying), in which case the liberals will leave. Either way it happens, the results are two parties more to the political left of what we have now. There's no telling how long that will take.

[rhett o rick]

117. First of all I dont agree that conservatism is dying. Maybe the repub party is

losing the conservatives but they are around. And second, the current admin has made it clear already that they are wooing the conservatives (Arlen Specter) and cutting the left loose.

[caseymoz]

127. Well, I'm talking about in the longer future.

Yes, conservatives will still be around-- until they die. Largely, they won't change. But that is true of any ideology. If it dies, it's not until a generation dies.

For conservatives, will they be able to replace their numbers? Except for among the wealthy, I think they are sterile.

Fact is, the Teabaggers don't look silly only to liberals. Their children are probably going to recoil from memories of those stupid signs and slogans for the rest of their lives. I think the Rand-Reagan wing of conservatism is in eclipse, and good riddance to its fantasies.

And if you look at Evangelical Conservatives, it's already apparent that their religion/ideology isn't being followed by their offspring either. That trend has already been documented.

In the immediate future, so what if the 13% of voters are teabaggers? When only about that many voters are Republicans, it means that both are effectively contained. And this year, the only reason health care was stopped for so long was because of the filibuster.

Now, I'm not saying we should relax, this is only one guy's forecast, and it's contingent on continued efforts to contain the damage these people are doing. But really, that's what I foresee.

[niceypoo]

69. We need to do away with the electoral college

...which keeps us mired in the two party system.

[mvymvy]

136. The National Popular Vote bill

The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency
to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50
states (and DC). 

Every vote, everywhere, would be politically relevant and
equal in presidential elections. Candidates would need to care
about voters across the nation, not just undecided voters in a
handful of swing states.

The bill would take effect only when enacted, in identical
form, by states possessing a majority of the electoral
votes--that is, enough electoral votes to elect a President
(270 of 538). When the bill comes into effect, all the
electoral votes from those states would be awarded to the
presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in
all 50 states (and DC). 

See http://www.NationalPopularVote.com 

[YOY]

81. The real conservatives have already been here for 20+ years.

It's just that we really don't have a "real left" because of them.

[AlbertCat]

93. We need a strong two party system.

I dunno. With 2 parties it's either/or...this or that.... us and them. I like the addition of a 3rd party. Now the whole dynamic is changed.

We practically have a 3rd party as Reugs and Dems fight over Independents.... that "swing voter". Why not just have an Independent Party that can vote for its own candidate as "strongly" rather than having to chose one or the other of 2 parties you really don't like in the 1st place?

[rhett o rick]

97. This has been tried in other countries with questionable results. nm

[AnArmyVeteran]

7. I agree, the GOP is history... by bowing to Limbaugh and siding with the tea baggers is proof...

[BrklynLiberal]

8. But those maroons we see out there with signs and saying really dumb things are not the ones who are

actually in charge. They are just the lemmings..the dumb sheep that are blindly following.
I would hope that we do not get complacent and assume the republicans are going to go quietly into the night.
That will never happen...they have worked too hard and too long to get where they are.

The worst thing we could do would be to underestimate them and what they are capable of.
There is no limit to their arrogance and their quest for power.

Obviously they would rather see the country in ruins than see a Democrat succeed at anything.

There was a very appropriate post the other day which I will try to find...

EDIT: Here it is
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8080050
It is an article about the Method to the Republican Madness.

[Dr Morbius]

9. I wish I could agree but I do not.

I think the best thing we can hope for is that the corporate bosses and wealthy elites who own the GOP will replace the management of the party. I do not think the Republican party is dead; I don't think it CAN die, given the constant reinforcement by the right-wing media apparatus.

This tactic won't fool a five year old but it will fool millions of Americans. Shoot, this is a country where nearly sixty million people reelected George W. Bush!

[shraby]

13. If you believe Bush got nearly sixty million votes

I have some lakefront property in Death Valley you might be interested in buying.

[Webster Green]

19. Not exactly.

Ken Blackwell and Karl Rove rigged the Ohio results to give the chimp another "win".

Kerry actually won in 2004. The rigging was quite obvious to anyone really paying attention.

[Egnever]

39. That doesnt take away from the fact that a large portion of the country

Voted for him even after it was glaringly obvious what a disaster he was.

[HughBeaumont]

40. Yep.

Both Bewsh shams were thefts, but the fact that they were CLOSE ENOUGH to make the thefts happen is what's really disturbing here.

[Webster Green]

65. Agreed.

I have no doubt that they would have rigged 2008 as well, but it wasn't close enough for them to steal.

[AlbertCat]

94. CLOSE ENOUGH to make the thefts happen is what's really disturbing here.

Then there's 2008 (and 2006)

How many young teabaggers do you see? How many blacks and gays? The GOP (as usual) are old and on the way out. But fear not...there will always be bigots and conservatives and fools.

[abq e streeter]

31. Unfortunately you're right-- and was about to say the same thing re: 5 year olds

vs. tens of millions of ignorant and/or hypnotized Americans. Reports of the demise of that foul party are premature at best...And I am very sorry to see the response basically calling you a fool ( "if you believe that"...). I have read several of your posts recently and have seen that you are a thoughtful , intelligent addition to DU, and anything but gullible or a fool... Of course, there's overwhelming evidence that the elections were stolen, but only because they were genuinely close enough to steal. The sad truth is that even if 60 million people didn't vote for Bush, then very close to that number did; even after his first term when it was patently obvious that he is a liar, and an idiot. And after all that, 57 million or so STILL voted for Palin to be VP . FIFTY SEVEN MILLION CITIZENS. It would be a terrible mistake to think there aren't tens of millions of voters ready to swallow whatever swill they have fed to them by the MSM every day, and vote repub again.

[Rozlee]

72. Yep, and they were getting ahead, too until the market crashed

Let's not forget Obama pulled ahead right after the economy became an issue.

[Dr Morbius]

125. Umm...

thanks, no need to be sorry, and someone clever once told me no one ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the American people. Someone clever; not very nice but clever.

This is a nation of consumers. We're trained from birth to want to consume. And the sad truth is that for a majority of people, if they can simply consume the news instead of thinking about it, they will choose to do so. People are full of concerns about their lives, and will happily let someone else do the thinking for them. Combine that with Joseph Goebbels principles of propaganda, and viola! We have a group taking advantage of Mr. Lincoln's observation: you can fool some of the people all the time. All they needed to do was get the fools to the polls...

[Cosmocat]

58. this whole string is bizarre ...

People are conflating the fact that the party has been completely consumed by wild eyed heartless, hypocrital scumbags and the overall strength of the party ...

This "dead" party IS going to pick up a good number of seats in both chambers in November ...

Does it stand for anything other than tax cuts for the wealthy?

of course not ...

But, that does not mean that it does not coopt 50% give or take of the people who go to the voting boothes in every election ...

They may not be "unified" or stand for anything substantive, but given the choice between a christian hatin, gun taking, homo loving unamerican liberal, those so called "indepenents" who don't have the sand to call themselves Rs are going to vote R EVERY time ...

The party is FAR from dead ...

FAR from it ...

[gristy]

10. In their quest for power and wealth, the global powers that exert dominion over our government

have broadly left disaster and chaos in their wake. The collapse of the republican party is simply one facet of the broad collateral damage they have brought upon our country and the world.

[Rex]

12. I have to admit, it is really nice to watch the GOP fall apart over the years

nothing better I can think of. I hope they keep it up, it will cause the fall that much faster IMO.

Cheers GOP! Keep it up! More and more people hate you everyday here and around the world! Votes!? Your stupid belief that people still get their news from your main stream media lapdogs is amusing and delights me. Thank you for the continued stupid, don't ever stop moving to the Right!

[rhett o rick]

17. Think about it for a min. What will happen if 80% of the country are Democrats?

Do you think they will all of a sudden become liberal? Or will the party become conservative. It has already started to move right because of all the conservatives fleeing the republican party.

[Raksha]

28. That's the scenario I've been imagining for about the past year.

As the Republicans move further to the lunatic right, they become more and more irrelevant. Whatever sane or moderate conservatives there are left will continue migrating to the Democratic Party, or at least they'll vote for Democratic candidates. But they won't stop being conservatives, and the Democratic Party has been moving further to the right for years. Even if 80% of the country are Democrats, the DLC/Blue Dog/ corporatist faction is likely to be the one in control.

Eventually the tension between the progressive wing and the corporatist wing will get to be too much, and there will be a schism within the Democratic Party, with the former Republican Party as an extreme-right third party. That's what I see as the most likely scenario anyway.

[Contrary1]

16. "This tactic wouldn’t fool a five-year-old"

But it will fool the teabaggers, and everyone else who tunes into Palin/Beck/Limbaugh.

[annabanana]

43. With Corporate media complicity, and given the large number of

cognitive 5 year olds over the age of 21.. sadly there are enough people available to "fool" to let these corrupt hacks gain a sufficient majority, at least in the Senate, to continue to stop America dead in it's tracks.

The media is the problem.

[rhett o rick]

18. Who here thinks a one party system will work? The corporations would love that. While you are

distracted with the disintegration of the republican party, CorpAmerica is taking over the Democratic Party.

[laughingliberal]

22. Yes. Americans love them some pro wrestling. nt

[rhett o rick]

26. Pro wrestling is a good analogy. nm

[theothersnippywshrub]

20. Good analysis. But the key word in what you have written is "eventually."

The weakened republican party you foresee is "eventually" inevitable, but it is many years and several elections away. Republicans are on the cusp of regaining a significant amount of political power. The mischief, damage and destruction they will create with that power may be even more difficult to correct than the historical norm.

[laughingliberal]

21. Why would anyone need to vote Republican when the Democrats are doing a bang up job

of supporting our aristocracy. Just vote Democratic. You get the same corporate control of the government without the white hoods and burning crosses.

[SocialistLez]

27. +1

Couldn't have said it better myself!

It's so sad that it's so true.
I used to think the Democratic Party stood for something.

[elocs]

23. I see the end for sure by 2050 when whites become a minority in the U.S.

So if Democrats hold on to the black and the Latino/Hispanic voters, then it's all over for the Republicans. The handwriting is on the wall for them, but I wouldn't be celebrating too prematurely. I'd rather have the last laugh than having to eat crow.

[get the red out]

44. I wish whites were the minority NOW

And I'm white, but I'm sick of religious nut, greedy-ass white sob's controlling everything.

[elocs]

74. The only reason I would want to live to be 98 would be to see that happen

and if I did I hope I'd still have the wits to appreciate it.

[deaniac21]

101. Who knows what the political dynamics will be in 2050.

Certainly no one alive.

[Caretha]

24. You stated that very well

[jimlup]

25. Never underestimate the stupidity of the Republican voters

They will still have valid numbers despite the fact that by all reasonable measures they should get zero votes. Serious, don't discount the stupidity of people. They elected:

Reagan, Bush I, Bush II and put Gingrich in charge of congress...

[Kablooie]

29. I second this. Conservatives would vote for Jeffrey Dahmer if he were the only Republican running.

They do not think about who or why they are voting because most of them are not capable of this.

They vote conservative period and they exist in large, and probably growing, numbers.

[laughingliberal]

30. I mean no disrespect but how does this differ from us?

We see people here every day who tell some of our discouraged Democrats that if they don't vote or if they vote 3rd party they're just helping to elect Republicans. The clear message is we must vote and any Democrat is better than any Republican. Now, I happen to believe any Democrat is better than any Republican. But this is what conservatives do, too. They believe if they don't vote for the Republican, they are helping to elect Democrats.

[Kablooie]

32. Most of us would pass if it were Jeffrey Dahmer.

[laughingliberal]

33. Probably true. nt

[hisownpetard]

34. Well said, young man!

K&R, too.

[saberjet22]

80. young man?!

Thanks, Suze.

[MajorChode]

35. Here is how the teabaggers are going to bring down the GOP

The teabaggers are going to demand more and more influence in the Republican party. If the GOP gives it to them, they are doomed because they will alienate Republicans that aren't batshit crazy. If the GOP doesn't give it to them, the Teabaggers will start to develop their own candidates and splinter the Republican party the other way. Either way spells doom for the GOP.

[Bette Noir]

36. I wish I could agree, but some 46% of the population votes Republican no matter who runs.

John McCain, senile, sick, corrupt old man that he is, only lost by a few percentage points to our man, who is as brilliant as he is handsome and well-spoken.

Even if the Republicans went away tomorrow, the Dems would split down the middle, into Blue Dogs and Progressives.

[peace frog]

41. Rumours of their demise

are greatly exaggerated. Fractious as they may appear today, come election time the wingers will vote Republicon, count on it.

[emanymton]

42. Everything You Say May Be True ...

.

The Republicant Party may be toast as a brand. You seem to be overlooking one very salient point; money.

The Republicant Party has boatloads of long-green. Personalities come and go, money lasts forever. Money drives politics train and the moneyed old guard know how to use it.

Ema Nymton
~@:o?
.

[jbeing]

45. If we're so smart

why haven't we been able to win over the teabaggers? Why hasn't a Liberal agenda been sold to them as what's best in America? What are WE doing wrong? Personally, when I make a mistake, I try to admit it and them correct it. Why can't we Dems and Libs do the same? Admit that we have failed to reach out or even reach some of the conservatives and teabaggers.

And then try in a more effective way.

If you put people down or they feel they are being put down, then they tend to fight back (even if it's nonsense they are spouting). Teabaggers are being manipulated by the Repubs to fight against their own good. Why aren't we "manipulating" them or communicating that our approach will improve things? There's a real reason they don't listen, but there's also a reason that we haven't broken through with them.

I think that it's about disrespect for anybody that doesn't agree with us. We get tribal and self-congratulating (me included) about how much we know and how stupid anybody is that doesn't see the world as we do. So do teabaggers. We need to change this behavior. Not only to bring the teabaggers and other RW groups into our democratic discussion. But to start a civil standard of behavior towards one another. One that promotes listening and understanding rather than conflict. Most teabaggers or bigots or haters seem to be traumatized. There's a snarling anger in their expressions of "America" and "Socialism." Almost like an abused child or spouse defending their abuser.

All I'm doing is trying to see people I disagree with in another light. These people (our fellow Americans) seem to be in so much pain that they will look anywhere for relief (Even the Republican medicine chest that's filled with toxic teabags).

Just wonder what we could do to help them. They seem so lost. We don't seem to be able to communicate with them.

I think it should start with us. We need to reach out somehow. But I'm not sure what a next step should be other than trying to understand how many of these people we're talking about and where many of these people are coming from.

Any suggestions?

[CrispyQ]

75. You're right that we often put them down & it doesn't advance our agenda.

But sometimes it's hard not to when you see that it is a different world view that we are dealing with. These are people who don't think for themselves. They don't question authority. They do what they're told. While I agree it doesn't advance our cause, it's hard to not be a little disdainful of people who who vote against their best interest because they won't think for themselves.

I highly recommend this free online book, The Authoritarians, by Bob Altemeyer - http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~altemey/

The book is about authoritarians, both followers & leaders. The followers follow the rules. They are told, by their authoritarian leaders, this is how you live your life & so they do so - without question. "Question authority" would never enter their minds.

IMO, what has happened is this: They have followed the rules (as set forth by their authoritarian leaders) & now things are not turning out like they were promised. When you follow the rules, you aren't supposed to see a 30% decline in your 401k, your house isn't supposed to lose 25% of it's value, you shouldn't have to worry that you might go bankrupt when you have health insurance, your job isn't supposed to be shipped overseas & your children shouldn't still be living with when they are in their 20's because they can't find jobs. But all of that is happening & they are pissed because they followed the rules & they were promised that things would go a certain way by following the rules!

For all their talk of personal responsibility, they've never had it. They will never blame themselves for not thinking for themselves. They will never blame their authoritarian leaders, who have simply used them to advance their own agenda. Instead, they look around & see those of us who are different, minorities, feminists, gays, liberals, those who don't always follow the rules, those who dare to question authority, & they blame us. It must be our fault, because it certainly isn't theirs. Limbaugh/Beck/Palin are masters of manipulating these people - they are feeling disenfranchised & Limbaugh/Beck/Palin are happy to tell them who to blame.

I'm at a loss of how to reach out to these people. They hate us! They see us as the enemy. How do we point out to them that we are not the enemy, that it is their authoritarian leaders who are the enemy? How do you reason with people who are opposed to taxes being spent to help the People, but have no issue with our bloated military budget? How do we reach these people?

I know, that's what you were asking & I just threw it back at you. ;)

Welcome to DU, jbeing!

[jbeing]

90. I agree with you that

it's a tough task, but we have found many ways to deal with all sorts of interpersonal issues. As politics, this impass will always remain an Us vs Them issue. As people there is an opportunity to understand and help these sad people. That's what they are. They are not all horrible and cruel. It's easy to paint the "other" side in non-human colors. Sometimes just listening to them without judgement is needed. Trying to read between their confused lines might help us find a way to get them talking about the real issues are. It isn't Communism, Socialism or Minimalism. It's "I'm scared and I'm lost." The Republicans have a 40-year head start (actually almost 60) in learning how to manipulate that fear and pain.

We more Liberal folks tend not to believe or understand what drives the Republican base (not the rich ones. The average person who barely gets by). Most of what I read is off-putting. If someone were to describe me in the terms I've read on this and other sites, I'd become very defensive, as well. Especially, if I have very little self-esteem and was grasping at straws to find something to believe in. So, rather than making people who feel so small and disregarded feel even worse. What are we doing to bring them into our house and trying to understand what motivates them.

I suggest that it will take a lot of time and understanding on our part, but a single conversation between two people who don't agree can lead to a larger consensus. The Republicans have done a lot of damage (divided us as humans from each other) and it will be a while until it's repaired. But someone has to start somewhere. Why not us?

BTW-I did read The Authoritarians. My response is nuture not nature. That is something we can control.

[teknomanzer]

91. Ah... just like a hopeful hearted liberal...

You might be able to have a policy discussion with a intellectual conservative -- but the teabaggers are not mere conservatives and they are certainly not intellectual. They are reactionaries. Their opposition is born out of prejudice and bigotry -- they don't represent anything else. This is a cultural problem. The world is changing and they just don't like it. There will be no working with these people. We have to work around them and push them further to the margins where they belong.

[jbeing]

92. It's too easy to marginalize people

even if they are off the deep end with their thinking. It seems all I hear from our side is bitterness and power-plays vs bitter and powerless people. The teabaggers in a few months will be a "remember them?" But their fear and pain will remain, because they have been lied to and manipulated by the Right and put down and vilified by the Left.

Working around them is convenient if you only want people in the world who think like you do. If so, I understand where you're coming from. If not, then marginalizing them goes against what I thought being a Liberal was all about - being inclusive.

I think it's time we listened better (we don't have to agree with them) and understood their needs. I gave up being a firebrand a few years ago. Now, I'm beginning to think we all need each other more than we realize.

[teknomanzer]

103. There is a reason why these people need to be marginalized.

God damn it! Your are perpetuating the stereotype of the weak willed liberal. There is no reward for pampering and placating the willfully ignorant apart from the bit of self satisfaction you might get from being the 'nicer' person. Inclusiveness for racism and bigotry is totally unprincipled. They should suffer rebuke and condemnation. Aside from that these people will spit on your desire for inclusiveness. Its all about them getting their way with NO compromise. They do not accept Obama or the Democrats in congress as legitimate leaders. Have you even been paying attention to what has been going on for the last year.

If you want to go pound your head on that brick wall I'm not going to stop you, but I will have the decency to tell you that you are wasting your time. When I look at teabaggers I see tombstones. Their vision of America is dieing -- they believe that blacks, Mexicans, homos, and women don't know their place anymore -- their protest is the death rattle of a nation of bigots. All their sound and fury has nothing to do with policy.

I will work with any honest conservative or independent who is still capable of reason, but I am not about to extend my hand to a pack of rabid dogs. You can only 'listen' to someone shouting nonsense that makes a schizophrenic off his medication sound coherent for so long. I did listen and what I heard was so far removed from reality that there was NO COMMON GROUND! Its like trying to have a cosmological discussion with someone who still believes in a geocentric universe.

Oh and by the way -- thanks for repeating the right wing talking point that WE are not listening to them -- as they imitate five year olds -- eyes shut tight and screaming with their fingers jammed in their ears! The Democrats passed a republican version of health care reform without republican support -- Democrats are not listening? Why are all the policies from their damn side then? Was a public option part of the bill? If you can't see what the teabaggers are really on about then I don't know what else to tell you.

My advise is that you spend your time engaging people who are at least open to engagement. There a plenty of reasonable conservatives and independents to work with and your efforts would be better spent with them.

[jbeing]

105. Weak willed Liberal?

I haven't given in an inch as to my beliefs. I am actually more entrenched on the left than ever. But what I am is secure in my beliefs. Confronting people for what they believe doesn't work. Listening, empathizing and sharing good ideas is the only way to change things. You first have to diffuse the fear before you can influence people. You (not you personally) have to get past the stereotypes and see the person.

We don't see the problem in the same way. You have a great deal of anger in how you approach angry bigots. Has that ever changed a mind? Two angry people facing each other down? If so, then maybe we should all go out and get in their faces. I don't think that works. It wouldn't work for me and I bet it wouldn't work for you. Nor does grabbing a position and holding on for dear life work either. If we expect to change people's minds, we have to get them thinking past their immediate anxiety.

Whether their vision of America is dying is debatable. It's very easy to replace one type of tyranny with another. Only the labels change.

As for the Right wing talking point that "we are not listening" to them: I find very few people listening to anyone. It's as if everybody is waiting for their cue to speak and sometimes not even waiting. It's like what I have to say is more important than what you have to say. Where is the basis for discussion when everything is a comeback, a talking point or a punchline?

We need to be smarter, act smarter, interact smarter. There's an old sales saying, "If you're talking, you're selling. If they're talking, they're buying." I believe that. I want teabaggers and other RW types to see the world as I do. But unfortunately they don't. This isn't a zero sum game, and neither side will completely disappear. So, somewhere along the way, we have to determine what kind of world do we want? One where everything is a battle or one where here's room and respect for others. I hate bigots and uber-patriots, but that doesn't mean they will disappear, ever.

So, maybe there's a better way to win them over rather than always labeling them as losers. Maybe we can influence them in a different way by not imitating their behavior. Wouldn't that be amazing - turning a teabagger into Liberal.

[teknomanzer]

114. Your idealism is admirable...

but the rose tinted spectacles are keeping you from seeing the brutal reality. Before you can engage people there must be some common ground. I stand here in reality. I honestly do not know where the hell they are; they are totally off the map. For the love of all that is good -- they are comparing Obama to Hitler while simultaneously calling him a socialist. The tendency is to conjure up everything that is thought to be evil and un-American and apply it to the president whether it makes sense or not. Their minds were made up before any debate began.

I have a little twist on an old saying. You can beat a dead horse, but you will never make it drink. I am not going to waste my time trying to pry open the closed minds of old dogs. Besides, time is on our side. Sometimes you have to wait for outdated modes of thought to die with those who hold them. Maybe there are a few not far from redemption, but certainly not enough to make it worth the effort. But you go ahead and reach out to them -- they are salivating in anticipation of your gesture just as they have in the past -- you will be lucky if you can pull back a bloody stump.

As for turning a teabagger into a liberal -- dreams of turning base metals to gold are best left to alchemists and magicians.

[jbeing]

116. Have you seen this?

on HBO tonight. I think Nancy Pelosi's daughter filmed thing documentary. This is an excerpt.

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/right-america-feeling-wronged-watching-rep

I've been around long enough to suspects causes and movements. What I've always found was that people as individuals can make a difference.

I guess time will tell. Either we become the country that was promised or we become a land of lies.

[jbeing]

132. And this?

I finally found how many people see the teabagger movement in a positive light (compared to socialism). I hope this is accurate.

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/04/05/socialism-vs-tea-parties/

Please, note the comment at the bottom of the page.

I found another conversation starter here:

http://www.anarchist-studies.org/node/299

I'm not advocating, but want to hear other people's opinions.

Your thoughts?

[Rozlee]

106. I wish I believed that teabaggers would be a "remember them"? kind of phenom

But, their kind of ugly has always waxed and waned in our nation's landscape. Right now, you're right: they're useful idiots for corporate and political power players that are pulling their strings. And they're not even organized under one banner. There are different tea party organizations. Some have split off from others, some are philisophically (haha!)opposed to one or more of each other's core beliefs, and others are infighting among their members as they jockey for power. But, they all have a few beliefs in common: anti-government, hatred of the guy who made it the Black House, and hatred of the rest of the conservative grab bag, i.e. gays, blacks, browns, Democrats, pro-choicers, kittens, etc. But, they'll always be around following some new demagogue. And the demogogue of the day will be the empty suit being held by the Rethugs, just waiting for another idiot like Bush or Palin to fill it. This is why Republicans will always have Teabaggers, even if they're not always called that.

[jbeing]

111. yes, you're right

but part of the problem is how to address this "constant." It's all based in fear, whether it's the teabaggers who seem to be in a state of overwhelming amygdala lock and the carpetbaggers who use that fear to push an agenda of greed. I wonder if the teabaggers will ever realize that the people that egg them on are the problem. if they do, I fear for the RW's safety.

I agree that we have a rich history of the rich using the poor to fatten themselves. It's gone on long enough for many of the upper 1 percent to feel they are entitled to their position in society.

Wouldn't it be ironic if the people who they use to maintain their grip on the U. S. one day woke up and turned on them? It would be ugly, as in Reign of Terror ugly.

I appreciate what you have written.

My concern is that there is a better way to deal with such alienated people.

I await your response.

[Rozlee]

124. I'm definitely not advocating any kind of civil war

I agree that civil discourse is the best way---actually, the only way---to communicate with people in the Tea Party at present. Unfortunately, they're not going to reciprocate. Take my sister as a for instance. All her life she was a pretty liberal person except that she had her views against abortion. Fine. But, then, she got involved with anti-abortion groups that were more conservative and then into groups that were just plain batshit crazy. Suffice it to say, she's no longer liberal. At all. She's a tea partier, she says. Although when I asked her if she ever attended one, she told me she hadn't. She's Hispanic. They'd tear her to pieces and she knows it. She lived in Germany with her civil service husband and used to praise their socialist medical system to the skies. She no longer remembers doing so. She'll argue for hours, denying she ever said anything nice about it. It was a horrible system. Germans would step out of hospitals and drop dead on the sidewalks. It's called brainwashing. You can't discuss things with them. You've got to de-program, not discuss. My sister used to spend hours telling people--family, friends, strangers, anybody!--about how great the care was that she received in Germany after she got an emergency gall bladder removal and various other doctors visits. She denies ever saying that now. Socialist medicine is evil. This is the mindset we're fighting against. You may be able to engage some in conversation on a one on one level, but it'll be a hard slough. But, you're right. It may work. After all, they took my sister away from us.

[jbeing]

133. That is tough to hear

It's like watching a family member waste away.

My heart goes out to you and to your sister. How traumatized or desperate she must be to have taken the snake oil instead of the medicine that would help her. She seems to need to hold onto her beliefs. Why do you think that is? I can't figure out that way of thinking. It's like an abused person defending his/her abuser. Do you think your sister will ever realize that what she'd saying is harmful to her and her family (as well as the rest of us)?

[get the red out]

46. The Republican PACS known as "Churches"

The Republican PACS commonly referred to as "Churches" will keep them afloat and keep them very competitive. They are tax-free and it is commonly not acceptable to criticize them in the mainstream media for being nothing more than Republican Party fronts.

[paparush]

57. DING DING DING!

Evangelical Christianity is not going away anytime soon. Its the perfect blend of fear, guilt, and holier than though hypocrisy. It attracts Republicans like flies. It provides simple answers and encourages followers not to think, but to accept on faith without asking questions.

The same people who are convinced that Jesus is going to descend through the clouds and spirit them away to heaven have no problem accepting what Sarah Palin tells them because they've been trained, indoctrinated, brainwashed to suspend disbelief.

[onlyadream]

47. I spent this Easter Holiday with my Repub in-laws

and was surprised to hear my FIL say that the teabaggers were the KKK. That was great! :)

[keitai]

49. Hubris...

can be a terrible thing.
I can remember at the end of the 2004 elections certain pundits saying 'This election finally gave definitive answers to many questions.' and would then rabbit on about how the Democratic party was looking at permanent minority status as liberalism would never be popular. I remember reading a book called the 'Right Nation' by two British authors who worked for the Economist who were prattling on about how Republicans were going to start a 50 year period of hegemony (though to be fair they did mention how things could go wrong and some of what they listed is coming to fruition now).
Looking back at those predictions now, we saw how risky just writing the other side of as irrelevant can be. If Democrats want to remain the natural party of government, they need to institutionally reform the U.S. That means imposing some from of single payer health care/government option, re-regulating Wall Street, getting publicly funded elections and kicking lobbyists out of Washington. The sad facts are the people who are organizing the Tea Parties (i.e. groups such as Americans for Prosperity or FreedomWorks) are getting their money from corporations. So long as their hand is on the whip handle, phenomenons such as the Tea Parties will always have a place in the conversation. Also, by reforming the following areas I listed above, not only will it be beneficial politically but also economically and legislatively, as clearly for profit health care, cowboy capitalism on Wall Street, log jams in congress bought about by lobbyist cash are ideas whose time has come.
Unfortunately, the Democrats haven't done enough in my eyes on any of these fronts. Sure, health care wasn't a bad first step but clearly the health insurance companies are still running the game and calling the shots without any real competition (i.e. a robust government option be it a public option or Medicare buy in). Campaign finance reform has yet to be tackled and the financial reform bill is being watered down as we speak.
Until Democrats really tackle these things head on, they cannot rely on the nuttiness of the far right to ensure reelection. Remember, Reagan was considered a crackpot until matched up against a faltering, wishy washy Jimmy Carter. Then he was considered a transformational leader. The potential 2012 version of Reagan, Sarah Palin, is a much more frightening prospect than Reagan ever was.

[LynneSin]

50. They are the Sheep from Orwell's "Animal Farm"

nuff said

[NJmaverick]

51. A wounded animal is the dangerous. Never underestimate the enemy

You could be right in your assessment, but they could also prove to be a real threat. They won in MA and that to me is a warning not to take them lightly.

[h9socialist]

52. The end of the Republican Party? What a pleasant thought!

But don't hold your breath. Not long ago, the shoe was on the other foot. Frankly, I think the Republicans are headed for something akin to 1964 and the Goldwater debacle . . . except that none of the present day Republicans have anything resembling Goldwater's personal integrity. I don't think it's the end of the GOP -- rather, they've gone way too far to the right, and they will have to be reigned in. The problem for them is that they vote like a school of fish, and they've been taking their queues from the neo-cons and the talk radio fascists. My guess is that in 2012 Obama will clean their clocks. But, it'll be a learning experience for them.

[newtothegame]

55. Self-delete

[Stuckinthebush]

59. A dangerous thought

The Republican Party will come back very strong. They play to the deepest insecurities of American voters. They have no reservations about telling falsehoods to get votes. They will gladly pit an angry mob against the most powerless of people. In short, they represent what is worst about human nature.

No, my friend, the Republican Part is not finished. They will come back harder, angrier, and meaner.

[CrispyQ]

76. Best post in this thread. --nt

[YOY]

82. And we do nothing to force them back to the regular right.

Because we're already there and they are still screaming 'socialism'...

They will come back...we should never mistake it.

It's how they come back is the issue.

[Arugula Latte]

83. Look at how easily swayed millions of Americans were after 9-11.

Hell, look at how they didn't make a peep when a presidential election was stolen right out from under them.

Unfortunately, I have great faith in the deep reserves of stupidity and irrationality in the American psyche.

Religion is a huge part of the problem, but that's another huge can of worms...

[Wapsie B]

119. They play into the insecurities, deep-seated anger and fear of many.

That appeals to more people than I care to count. All we're seeing now are signs of their desperate search for another leader, another Reagan as well as nearing the end of the age when white people are the majority.There's something about the gop that will always resonate with a sizable number of voters.

[DeSwiss]

60. K&R

I agree.

[anachro1]

62. Their next move should be

Try to get the Catholic Church on their sides.
Argue FOR their continued indulgence in screwing children.

The republican party is little more than a bunch of frightened and dying warriors, flailing their swords hoping to take everyone else down with them.

[mckara]

63. There's a Whole Lot of Stupid Out There...

to keep these jokers a viable threat for some time to come.

[Kolesar]

84. And a whole lot of oil money to enable them...eom

[randr]

68. Seriously--Is there any sanity left over there?

There is not one republicer left that stands for anything. The long gone "Buckley or Goldwater" ideologs at least pretended to have some sort of strategy for the future. I guess all that was lost with the Regan fake presidency.

[obxhead]

71. Unfortunately the middle of the road is so far right that America may

still be doomed.

I'll agree with a lot of your points. However, it's never wise to approach a sick and injured terrified dog. They can bite.

We need the Dem party moved back to the left side of the middle. This right side corporate thinking by our leaders is insanity on the grandest scale.

[rasputin1952]

78. Teabaggers are merely a symptom of the death of the GOP...

Fine by me, the R's brought on their own destruction years ago when they allied with the "Religious Right". As soon as they embraced the "Right to Life" movement, they walked the 13 stairs of the scaffold. When bush was elected, and after 8 years of sheer disaster, they had put the noose around their collective necks. They have nothing, and will go the way of the Whigs...and I say good riddance.

[NewJeffCT]

79. It's not happening any time soon, sorry to say

The Republican Party of the 1920s caused the Great Depression with their economic policies. They then sat on their hands & did nothing for the first 3 years of the Depression.

Then, conservative business leaders in the 30s - along with Republican politicians in Congress - openly advocated allying with Hitler & Mussolini well into the 1940s.

If they can survive that, they can survive teabaggers and George W Bush.

[Jade Fox]

85. Wish I could agree.....

While it's true "They have no leaders, they have no morals, they have no platform and no constructive ideas", they do have plenty of money, seemingly an endless amount, to conduct their dirty tricks.

The GOP also has a decades long determination to destroy any--ANY--Democratic President, something detailed here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8080050

[Cognitive_Resonance]

87. Fully Agree. 2010 mid-terms is the GOP's last chance and

they have serious problems already. Their Tea Party sideshow is a two-edged sword. It raises the intensity among their extremist base, but it also turns-away many middle-of-the-road voters who would otherwise tend to vote Republican. Decent people do not want to be identified with hate-spewing lunatics, militia sympathizers, etc.

[patrice]

89. As you so aptly observe: DESPERATION resounds from their EVERY act. They will

soon go into full Panic mode. Could be interesting if not just a little scarey.

[Terry in Austin]

99. GOP: too big to fail

Sorry - the bumper-sticker hamster wheel in my brain is always spinning!

;-)

[RoccoR5955]

104. I think that you are wrong

The RepubliCONs have all the money. Just because they have poor leadership now doesn't mean that they will in the future. They have said this about BOTH parties many times, and it has never come to fruition.

[hulka38]

108. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

[Yavin4]

109. Teabaggers Are People Who Cannot Accept That A Black Man Is President

That's it, and that's all. For the media to pretend that these folks are just upset about the deficit is pure pandering rubbish. For 8 years as we moved from surpluses to deficits, these folks said NOTHING. No protests. No marches. Their silence was defeaning as Bush and the Republicans spent money on war and cut taxes on the wealthy. In fact, in 2004, these very same teabaggers told us that if we didn't vote for Bush and the Republicans, we'd all die.

For years, the Republican party leadership and the media have given a wink and a nod to these bigots, and now these bigots are losing their minds because a Black man is president. In the long run, the Republicans have nothing to fear because once Obama leaves the stage, so too will the teabagger movement.

[NewJeffCT]

118. Do you really think it would have been better

If Hillary Clinton were president instead of Obama? Or John Edwards? Imagine if the revelations about Edwards and his affair came out after he won the presidency?

It might have had a different flavor, but it would have been just as vicious.

[Yavin4]

121. It Would Have Been Different Under Hillary, But Not Nearly As Vicious

They would have recycled all of the old Clinton scandals and probed more into Bill's current affairs around the world. There would not have been protest marches and this whole new political wave known as the Teabag movement.

[NewJeffCT]

126. the tea party movement was started over 2 years ago

well before Obama even wrapped up the primaries, let alone the presidency. It was going to happen no matter which Democrat won. Hillary also ran on promising to fix healthcare as well.

And, Bill Clinton was called a murderer, a rapist, a child rapist, a drug runner, a drug pusher, a draft dodger and much much more when he was president. Hillary was a lesbian on one hand, and had her secret lover Vince Foster killed on the other... and, Foster's death was investigated 5-6 by Republicans. She was Hitlery on one hand, and a commie on the other for saying "it takes a village to raise a child." And, don't forget how every new hair style and outfit was critiqued negatively by the media. Chelsea Clinton was called "the president's dog" by Rush Limbaugh and John McCain said she was so ugly because Janet Reno was her father. Heck, Republicans even investigated Socks the Cat. And, don't forget years of Whitewater investigations that amounted to nothing more than a blowjob.

[slackmaster]

110. The Republican Party died with the resignation of Richard M. Nixon in 1974

We'd never hear from them again for a whole generation, or so I was told at the time.

[craigmatic]

112. If the "reagan revolution" was a camp fire then the teabaggers would be the smouldering embers of it

[Mithreal]

128. +1 nice imagery

:thumbsup:

However, I think it is premature to celebrate the demise.

It's not safe until you can touch it.

[The Backlash Cometh]

115. A gang of fourth grade bullies with the constitutional right to bear arms.

[conscious evolution]

120. As long as electronic voting machines exist

the puke party is not going to disappear.
There is also ample evidence that they have also taken over the Democratic Party with their tried and true tactic of infiltration and subversion.

[kpominville]

122. The odd thing is

I know so many otherwise very intelligent people who are also teabaggers.

Its so easy to just say, "oh these people are just idiots." But I think that is underestimating the actual emotions and fears the conservatives are playing on, some of which are real. IMO, these people are evidence of how broken our media is.

[calimary]

123. ...can't come soon enough for me!

[roamer65]

129. As the DLC continues rightward, maybe we can form a social democratic party.

Much like the NDP in Canada or the LibDems in Britain.

[Mithreal]

130. If the Republican party really were to die

I think this is a possibility.

What would be very dangerous imo is for the Democratic Party to fracture prematurely.

If we do split, we better have the Republican party's autopsy in front of us.

[Indiemindfield]

134. End of Republicans?

You mean the same Republicans that just kicked our a** in VA, NJ and Mass? We must not underestimate the anger on the right and the upcoming turnout this fall. The Democrats have also temporarily lost many Independents. As a strong supporter of the social issues being championed by the Democrats, I fear a large victory by the right could set back our progress. You really should get out more often!