It appears as if the right is just falling apart.

[WuDrWu]

You made some good points until your 2 paragraphs on high gay.

[GoShockers89]

You made some good points until your 2 paragraphs on high gay.

You're right. Never change on gays even though the battle against them is completely lost and pointless now. Moving on is for weaklings.

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

Changing demographics in this country are indeed a threat to the Republican social platform as it is now. Republicans have little current appeal to the Latino vote, so if TX were to ever turn blue I'm not sure any Republican Presidential candidate could be electable. So @GoShockers89:, I'd add changing the platform on immigration reform to your list of Republican must dos.

I suspect that the Republicans will change--because they have to in order to remain relevant. There are quite a few people--including me--who consider themselves moderates and who voted Republican for years, and then when the party slowly started getting taken over by right wing extremist nutjobs in the last decade, we felt the party kind of left us behind. If your base is so far right that the people in the middle appear liberal, well, Houston you have a problem. I have every confidence the Republicans will right the ship, but it could be a painful process to the extremists who've been running the show for awhile now.

[Capitol Shock II]

We are greece. We just don't realize it yet as people. Liberalism is alive and well over in Greece and that's exactly where we are heading. Hope you're preparing.

[WuDrWu]

You're right. Never change on gays even though the battle against them is completely lost and pointless now. Moving on is for weaklings.

What battle? I and 99% of conservatives couldn't care less what gays do, UNLESS it's creating a bunch of Federal Laws giving them things that nobody else gets. Then it's a problem. Tell you what, we can make a Constitutional Amendment for Gays right after we make one for Angry White Conservatives, deal?

There is no battle. There are lies told by the left that scare gays, I'll grant you that, but then gays are easily scared (did I just say that?).

[WuDrWu]

Changing demographics in this country are indeed a threat to the Republican social platform as it is now. Republicans have little current appeal to the Latino vote, so if TX were to ever turn blue I'm not sure any Republican Presidential candidate could be electable. So @GoShockers89:, I'd add changing the platform on immigration reform to your list of Republican must dos.

I suspect that the Republicans will change--because they have to in order to remain relevant. There are quite a few people--including me--who consider themselves moderates and who voted Republican for years, and then when the party slowly started getting taken over by right wing extremist nutjobs in the last decade, we felt the party kind of left us behind. If your base is so far right that the people in the middle appear liberal, well, Houston you have a problem. I have every confidence the Republicans will right the ship, but it could be a painful process to the extremists who've been running the show for awhile now.

Can you please tell me the far right nutjobs who have taken over the Republican party and what their agenda is? I guess I don't know these people.

[WuDrWu]

We are greece. We just don't realize it yet as people. Liberalism is alive and well over in Greece and that's exactly where we are heading. Hope you're preparing.

CSII, I think the problem is that too many DO realize it, they just believe they can do Greece right.

[GoShockers89]

What battle? I and 99% of conservatives couldn't care less what gays do, UNLESS it's creating a bunch of Federal Laws giving them things that nobody else gets. Then it's a problem. Tell you what, we can make a Constitutional Amendment for Gays right after we make one for Angry White Conservatives, deal?

There is no battle. There are lies told by the left that scare gays, I'll grant you that, but then gays are easily scared (did I just say that?).

What things are they seeking that no one else gets? Honest question.

An enormous (and effective) prong of Karl Rove's 2004 Bush election strategy involved placing anti-gay marriage amendments on the ballot in as many swing states as possible. This worked because public opinion at the time was generally against gay marriage. It has swung in the decade since to favoring it.

That, and DOMA, is your battle.

[Capitol Shock II]

Fiscal cliff, debt ceiling, Obamacare, tax increases and military cuts all at the first of the year. There is no way anything is going to get done to correct these issues before Jan 1 because Obama wants all of these things. It will be an interesting 2013.

[GoShockers89]

Can you please tell me the far right nutjobs who have taken over the Republican party and what their agenda is? I guess I don't know these people.

How familiar are you with Rick Santorum?

[RoyalShock]

Eh, life goes on. Talk radio and the far right will flip out and act like the predicted Mayan Armageddon on December 21 would be a sweet release from the grips of socialism. The current gridlock, however, will keep anything from getting accomplished either way in the next 2 years and the economy will continue a sluggish "recovery" unless both parties steer us off the fiscal cliff later this year.

In reality, Republicans will slug out a fight over the next decade that the Pat Robertson-era culture warriors are sure to lose because their believers are dying off and not being replaced by young people in adequate numbers (much like our baseball fanbase). The GOP is currently a loser on almost every social issue and needs to de-emphasize the influence that those matters carry within the Party. Stick to lowering government spending, fiscal responsibility, low taxes, and strong national defense.

Ditch the ridiculous anti-gay campaign (it's conclusively a failure at the national level). It strongly parallels the opposition within the Democratic party to the 1964 Civil Rights Act- the obstinate ones will be forced to the fringe of the party, be overrepresented by elderly and geographically isolated members, and will slowly fall apart as the younger generation accepts reality and moves on. This is a big sticking point that prevents a huge number of socially moderate, fiscally conservative young people from voting republican.

Get on board with legalizing marijuana and steal this issue from the Dems. This would represent an ENORMOUS revenue windfall (taxing and regulating the product) while simultaneously cutting government spending in a huge way (law enforcement, jail, and prosecution/court expenses). The old farts who adamantly oppose this are almost universally 55+ and are remnants of the faction who took the "war on drugs" line in the 80s hook, line and sinker even though their generation was the biggest group of substance abusers in world history. They will die off in the next quarter century- at some point in that time the boomer influence will wane enough that this inevitably gets legalized. I want my party on the right side of it when it happens. It's no less moral than alcohol consumption being legal and is considerably less dangerous in terms of sensory impairment.

These two changes, combined with continued focus on conservative fiscal principles, is how the party pivots back to prominence much like the Democrats did with Clinton in 1992 when they finally grew the nuts to tell the Jesse Jackson/aging McGovernites to stfu and let their party become electable again.

I pretty much agree with this. The moment the GOP embraces true political conservatism (including not trying to tell others how to live through federal legislation and not spreading democracy through military might), they will steal away a majority of left-leaning moderates and render the Dems virtually sterile, at least for a few election cycles.

Like it or not, we aren't going to make the country (ie. people) more socially conservative through government. That can only happen at home.

Personally, I believe our culture is already headed for the cliff and there's very little hope of turning it around. I'd rather step to the side and try and pull a few out of the herd than to get run over trying to stop the whole group, saving none.

[Kung Wu]

Changing demographics in this country are indeed a threat to the Republican social platform as it is now. Republicans have little current appeal to the Latino vote, so if TX were to ever turn blue I'm not sure any Republican Presidential candidate could be electable. So @GoShockers89:, I'd add changing the platform on immigration reform to your list of Republican must dos.

I suspect that the Republicans will change--because they have to in order to remain relevant. There are quite a few people--including me--who consider themselves moderates and who voted Republican for years, and then when the party slowly started getting taken over by right wing extremist nutjobs in the last decade, we felt the party kind of left us behind. If your base is so far right that the people in the middle appear liberal, well, Houston you have a problem. I have every confidence the Republicans will right the ship, but it could be a painful process to the extremists who've been running the show for awhile now.

Mitt Romney is a "right wing extremist nutjob"?

[shoxlax]

Eh, life goes on. Talk radio and the far right will flip out and act like the predicted Mayan Armageddon on December 21 would be a sweet release from the grips of socialism. The current gridlock, however, will keep anything from getting accomplished either way in the next 2 years and the economy will continue a sluggish "recovery" unless both parties steer us off the fiscal cliff later this year.

In reality, Republicans will slug out a fight over the next decade that the Pat Robertson-era culture warriors are sure to lose because their believers are dying off and not being replaced by young people in adequate numbers (much like our baseball fanbase). The GOP is currently a loser on almost every social issue and needs to de-emphasize the influence that those matters carry within the Party. Stick to lowering government spending, fiscal responsibility, low taxes, and strong national defense.

Ditch the ridiculous anti-gay campaign (it's conclusively a failure at the national level). It strongly parallels the opposition within the Democratic party to the 1964 Civil Rights Act- the obstinate ones will be forced to the fringe of the party, be overrepresented by elderly and geographically isolated members, and will slowly fall apart as the younger generation accepts reality and moves on. This is a big sticking point that prevents a huge number of socially moderate, fiscally conservative young people from voting republican.

Get on board with legalizing marijuana and steal this issue from the Dems. This would represent an ENORMOUS revenue windfall (taxing and regulating the product) while simultaneously cutting government spending in a huge way (law enforcement, jail, and prosecution/court expenses). The old farts who adamantly oppose this are almost universally 55+ and are remnants of the faction who took the "war on drugs" line in the 80s hook, line and sinker even though their generation was the biggest group of substance abusers in world history. They will die off in the next quarter century- at some point in that time the boomer influence will wane enough that this inevitably gets legalized. I want my party on the right side of it when it happens. It's no less moral than alcohol consumption being legal and is considerably less dangerous in terms of sensory impairment.

These two changes, combined with continued focus on conservative fiscal principles, is how the party pivots back to prominence much like the Democrats did with Clinton in 1992 when they finally grew the nuts to tell the Jesse Jackson/aging McGovernites to stfu and let their party become electable again.

Concur. Leave gay rights to the states and tell everyone you could care less. Make marijuana a capitalist project, not a government black hole. You forgot the immigration issue. W was all but sold on a centrist position until his own party sabotaged it. The deport everybody mentality may be what we want but it is not realistic and would cost the government millions if not billions to enforce. Deliver some amnesty, make these people pay taxes and work on keeping others wanting to get in out. Be a pro lifer but respect (and earnestly mean that) the views of others. I'm frankly sick of social issues (and I agree personally with the far right on most) determining elections while we become a broken, nanny state.

I am in the military and am the first to admit we could trim some fat. Lots of it. But 4 trillion dollars? We would be Greece who couldn't defend themselves from Chuck Norris attacking in a dinghy. Military might is exactly how we spread democracy during the Cold War, Royal. I think you really mean invading countries. But the one thing about the defense industry is it creates jobs in the private sector unlike the gazillion other useless federal agencies. Paul Bots and Libs who think we should get out of Germany and Japan have a great idea until they talk to those countries. They are holding us hostage by saying "Guess what, you can leave, just as soon as you spend billions cleaning up this enviromental disaster you call bases". It is not an easy decision.

[RoyalShock]

You're right @shoxlax: , I did mean overseas military action. I think we need a very strong defense and a few strategic bases around the world. But we have varying amounts of military presence in somewhere around 140-150 countries. That's far too many, IMO.

[martymoose]

You and your lefty buddies are grasping at straws. Do your damage now, because real Americans are going to take back our country.

Goodbye, and good riddance.

Well, you were right about one thing...

Anyway, Republicans can continue down the path they've been walking for the last 12 years and have zero shot against Clinton in 2016, or they can compromise because they now realize REAL AMERICANS still blame the Republican Party for the slide this country has been in for the last 12 years. But in all honesty, I don't think any Republican is going to beat Clinton.