What about disgruntled Republicans?

[deacon]

I've been watching the MSM throwing dirt on the Democrats and predicting their demise in the midterm elections for months now and how the TeaPublicans are all fired up. But before the midterm "season" kicked in the talk was about how the GOP was engulfed in deep infighting and conflicted. Also, that many workaday republicans had become disgusted with their party. As a matter of fact the republicans that I know and those in the office were admittedly hiding their heads in shame at the direction their party took.

Does anyone think this aspect will have an affect in the final outcomes? Is it a factor?

[zipplewrath]

1. Yes, but how much

The progressives are going to show up.
The kids aren't going to show up.
The baggers are going to show up.

The question really is, what are the "moderate independents" going to do? That 20% in the "middle", the centrists, that should be Obama's strongest supporters. Will they show up? And if they do, will they vote GOP or Dem? I know a few moderate republican/independents. They voted for GW twice, and Obama last time. These are not ideologically driven people. My impression is they just aren't going to vote at all this time around, for many of the reasons to which you allude. The think the GOP is nuts, and the dems have not particularly thrilled them.

[w8liftinglady]

2. from what I understand,the disgruntled Republicans in My state are going to vote Democratic

A lot of kay Bailey Hutchison's supporters are secretly supporting Bill White for governor against Rick Perry.My hope is that they will vote straight Dem.We have had a huge early voting turnout here.

[deacon]

5. And, many pundits after the 2008 election speculated that many republicans

said they were going to vote republican in public but went into the booth and voted for Obama so it's interesting, since between 2008 and now the party went insane...it might be a factor.

[saltpoint]

3. In times past there actually were moderate, civil

Republicans in the Congress.

Wow, has that ever changed.

The Castle-O'Donnell primary is the most recent case in point, but moderate Republicans have been shoved overboard for some time now.

I don't think there's much question that Sarah Palin is interested in a third party run. Some sort of "rogue elephant" effort to appeal to "pure" conservatives. I hope such an effort fails, but not until it further shrinks and weakens the GOP.

Despite voters' justifiable fears on the economy and the impulse to blame the party in power, it's the GOP's long-term survival that's on life support.

[ejpoeta]

6. any reasonable civil and moderate republicans have been pushed out.

at some point they are going to have to either dump the nutjobs and find reasonable people or die as a party.

[saltpoint]

7. Agree. It's more than a minor crossroads for them.

They were in a position to soar. With Reagan, they had this Teflon-coated champion and then they let the nutbaggers in the back door, and now they won't leave.

They had an almost-certain Senate pickup in Delaware, for example, and now it's an almost-certain loss. Sharron Angle in Nevada is at least as frightening because she's narrowly leading in the polls. I sure hope Nevadans think this one over very carefully before sending a hateful bigot like that to the 112th Congress.

[malaise]

4. How dare you challenge the meme?

Don't you see how they're hiding George Bush. :evilgrin: