It appears as if the right is just falling apart.

[pinstripers]

Obama is farther left than Goldwater was right.

[Capitol Shock II]

I hope I'm wrong but have you ever heard of a country that owed as much as us and was printing money like us that didn't completely collapse. Several have and none of them owed half as much as we owe. The printing and borrowing is going to come to an end and when it does it's going to end very badly. Additionally, do you think that our Welfare policies are encouraging people to get off of it. It's actually encouraging people to get on it.

How long before the Makers in this country say f-off and pull a John Galt, I'm not supporting the rest of you morons anymore? That's what I did with my business and I'm sure I'm just the tip of the iceberg.

We had a chance to grow our way out of this mess however slim it was. There's no way that's going to happen with this President.

By the way, I hope I'm wrong again, but with capital gains scheduled to be jacked up and another recession looming, look for a run to the fire exits in the stock market this quarter.

[shoxlax]

It's what all Republican candidates seem to do. Romney went right in the primaries to appease the social conservative base who seem to turn out more in primaries, went back to the center for the election and was then called a flip flopper by Obumble and his henchmen.

[shox1989]

Scott walker? He was a liberal republican who went against the party as he saw fit. He is a poster child demonstrating that going left is not the answer. Being a better liar and campaigner, raising more money and grass roots efforts is the answer (and staying with your principles - I think conservatives are very cynical with the Republican Party).

I think sticking to conservative economic values is the answer.

On economic issues the Republicans are the party of freedom. On social issues they are the party of big government intrusion. It muddies their message.

Every time Republicans start talking about social issues they start losing people especially young people. It is the economic issues that unite the party.

[Gumby]

The Republican Party is well on its way to becoming as irrelevant as most of the rest of the old line religious denominations (in my opinion that is what it has become).

They (the religious extremists) are hell bent on pushing their social agenda on everyone else no
matter what the cost.

The extremists that have taken over the Republican party apparatus are nothing more than lackeys and puppets of the top 1% of the wealth holders of this country (who have their own separate agenda).

I am a life long Republican, fiscal conservative and social moderate, and I feel that the greatest danger facing our nation is the blurring of the lines between church and state.

The last thing we as a freedom loving people really want or need is a theocracy. When people are on a "mission from God" they can justify any type of atrocity, and that scares the Hell out of me.

[SB Shock]

The extremists that have taken over the Republican party apparatus are nothing more than lackeys and puppets of the top 1% of the wealth holders of this country (who have their own separate agenda).

me.

And those in charge of the Democratic Party aren't 1% and have their own agenda? Obama worth at least 12 million. How much money does soros have? Feinstein? Kerry's?

Hell Chelsea Clinton is already worth $5 million. Don't kid yourself, whichever party u want to embrace - they are all controlled by the 1% and they are pushing their agenda.

[Kung Wu]

The extremists that have taken over the Republican party apparatus are nothing more than lackeys and puppets of the top 1% of the wealth holders of this country (who have their own separate agenda).

You sure about that?

[Aargh]

I hate to enter political discussions because everyone is so polarized. It's "my way or you're wrong". There's no discussion or consideration. Everything is black and white. There's no room for gray and no room for discussion or compromise.

I would like to be a Republican, but I can't support the social agendas. I don't think those areas have any relevance in government. Those are personal and moral choices.

The right wing of the Republican Party has taken control of the party and that group is exclusionary, rather than inclusionary in who they accept in their ranks.

There are a lot of people who think abortion is something best decided between a woman and her doctor. The Republican Party has excluded all those voters. Candidates making statements about "the rape thing" and that women who are "legitimately raped" can somehow force their bodies not to become pregnant, or statements like women getting raped is God's will for the creation of life, cost the Republican Party a lot of votes.

Gay people probably compromise 5% of the population - maybe more. The Republican Party pretty much excluded all those people from their ranks.

Then there's the tax shifting from those with more to those with less. The concept that taxing wealthy people is socialist redistribution of income, but taxing less affluent people and reducing taxes on more affluent people is not wealth redistribution just isn't cutting it with a lot of citizens. Due to an illness, I ended up joining the ranks of the involuntarily retired. Brownback's theory of eliminating business taxes for those making $4 billion a year leaves no option but to raise property or sales taxes, which hit me hard - and I make $900 a month from Social Security. I will get about the same amount in Social Security in my life that I paid in - without considering interest. When Romney calls me part of the 47% who are freeloading off the government - and I'm only going to collect the principal (no interest) on what I've paid the government - that doesn't make me eager to vote for the Republican platform.

There's also the appearance that the right wing of the Republican Party wants to blur the lines between Church and State. I'm a Mennonite, so I'm from a fairly conservative branch of religion. I don't think it's appropriate for me to expect others to follow my religious viewpoints and I am perfectly capable of following all my religious and moral viewpoints without the government telling me which of them I must follow. I feel it's appropriate to witness to others, and then let them make their choice. It's not up to me to judge the actions of others, that's God's domain. The Republican Party's right wing is offending and excluding even some conservative Christians.

"Tax and spend" is certainly unpopular, but "don't tax and spend" (which is what the Republicans have done) isn't much more popular and the Republican social agenda excludes enough small voting blocs (<2% of voters) to swing elections to the "Tax and Spend" group.

There's a little over 200 years of experience that indicates voters are decidedly centrist. More recent history looks at small voting blocs and their effect on elections. Just to use a single example, if the Republican Party had endorsed gay marriage and gotten 50% of the gay vote instead of probably <10% of the gay vote, Romney may have won the election.

As long as the Republican Party puts social issues at the forefront of their campaigns, they will struggle to implement their fiscally conservative government policies.

[tropicalshox]

I've voted Democatic for years for many for the reasons @Aargh: mentioned. Perhaps my view on who is best on being fiscally sound is clouded because of that. But, I thought Clinton did a great job in that area. And I believe Bush messed things up beyond the point of thinking we would quickly recover.

[Gumby]

You sure about that?

Who is the money behind all the candidates with the extreme right wing veiws and religious/social agenda?

[Kung Wu]

The extremists that have taken over the Republican party apparatus are nothing more than lackeys and puppets of the top 1% of the wealth holders of this country (who have their own separate agenda).

You sure about that?

Who is the money behind all the candidates with the extreme right wing veiws and religious/social agenda?

Contrary to ignorant liberal rhetoric, the top 1% (the super wealthy) control the Democrat party, not the Republicans. In fact 8 out of 10 of the richest counties in the country voted for Obama.

[RoyalShock]

The extremists that have taken over the Republican party apparatus are nothing more than lackeys and puppets of the top 1% of the wealth holders of this country (who have their own separate agenda).

I am a life long Republican, fiscal conservative and social moderate, and I feel that the greatest danger facing our nation is the blurring of the lines between church and state.

If you've actually been paying attention, the puppets have been in charge of the RNC for a very long time. It's the same types who I'm sure are pulling the DNC strings. The "religious right" have become gradually less influential than it was in the 90s, IMO. Over the past four years there has been a concerted effort by the "liberty wing" of the GOP to take over the party at local and state levels. And they are experiencing some success.

The Romney campaign and establishment leadership engaged in gross misconduct against the liberty wing at this year's convention in an effort to squelch their influence. This caused many of them to sit this election out or drove them to vote for Johnson. The convention tactics backfired on Romney and the GOP and was a significant factor for Romneys loss. The question will be whether it has motivated the liberty wing to redouble their efforts or if it drove them away. The RNC leadership pissed away their chance to make the GOP a big-tent party this year.

[pinstripers]

Obama targeted specific groups. Blacks, unwed mothers, gays, union members, and welfare recipients voted for him in waves. Brilliant strategy.

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

Please tell me what you mean when you say "had to swing so freaking far to the right". I'd like to hear factual information on his radical far right agenda.

I liked the old Romney. The Romney who created the model for what is now Obamacare, the Romney who was pro-choice, yet the Romney who maintained mostly fiscally conservative ideals. Fast forward a few years--he wanted to get rid of health reform and planned parenthood, obviously to appeal to the right wingers. Romney established himself as a centrist years ago, and I liked that. The "new Romney" I'm not a fan of.

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

Wrong...it is the left that has swung to the extreme. John F. Kennedy was a huge believer in tax cuts, religion, anti-dependence on government and a strong military. Look at what the Democratic party has since then become, the party of tax and spend, all out dependence on government, a weak military and godless.

I would support JFK in a heartbeat over the godless freaks that now run the Democratic party. Today, JFK would be a republican.

Dude! Seriously? This is what I don't understand. The only president in recent memory who was able to balance the budget--hell, create a surplus!!!--and actually PAY DOWN the national debt was a Democrat. A Democrat. The next guy in office--a Republican--spent money like he stole it! A weak military and "godless"?--sigh, that's just so silly I won't respond to that.

I like tax cuts just as much as you do, but the Republicans don't seem to understand that if you're going to cut taxes, you better cut spending. Reagan and Bush, though both did some good things, also spent ludicrous amounts of money, and at the same time cut taxes, driving up the debt to unheard of levels, so please forgive me if they have totally convinced me the party's platform of "fiscal conservatism" is complete and utter hogwash. Sorry, but when you preach about being fiscally conservative, but your actions show you spend money like you think it grows on trees, and the guys you call "tax and spend" are the only ones who have actually figured out how to be responsible with the nation's money, you lose all credibility.