Where will the GOP go? (63 posts)

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  • Profile picture of Groucho Groucho said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

    Let’s assume that President Obama is re-elected. I know, that is too horrible to contemplate for some here, but it is probably going to happen. Where will the GOP go? Will it continue to back a conservative, narrow view of government (Tea Party), or will it shift leftward and get more mainstream? A lo of very dedicated voters would be lost if such a shift occurred, but a lot of moderates, maybe even some conservative Dems would come on board.

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  • Profile picture of Lamonster Lamonster said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

    Horrible, indeed, Groucho. ;-)

    But you speak as if Romney is the Tea Party candidate. But they’ll vote for him and I suppose that could be seen as a shift the center.

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  • Profile picture of catpaw catpaw said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

    Romney’s shifting moderation already has the Tea Party and some of his base republicans ticked off. His messge is clear: No, i’m not going to get radical. Yes, they’ll vote for him, but if he wins, will he have their support, particularly in congress?

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  • Profile picture of Lamonster Lamonster said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

    Hard to say, catpaw. But I’d wager he’ll get more support on most issues than Obama will.

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  • Profile picture of Groucho Groucho said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

    But which way will the GOP go if they lose? That is what I’m interested in. There was wild speculation in 2008 that the GOP was finished after Dems won everything. The elephant got organized and fought back, and the Tea Party was born. Donkeys (as usual) paid little attention and got their butts handed to them in 2010. But now the daddy party is getting its fair share of kooks and crazies and could be in for a reorganization or just keep on the way it is going, like the Whigs in the 19th century. Just sayin’.

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  • Profile picture of AndyA AndyA said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

    It would be nice for the repubs to have the WH and get some things done but as long as we keep the house and possibly pick up the senate I will be a happy camper. obie can lame duck it and play golf for the next four years.
    edit to add: If mitt wins and the dems keep the senate it will be no different. Just one big stand off.

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  • Profile picture of Groucho Groucho said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

    So just continue the obstructionism and let the country go to hell? Interesting concept.

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  • Profile picture of AndyA AndyA said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

    Translation – obstructionism according to the dems is ” you wont shut up and do it our way”
    If that’s obstructionism Im all for it, and more.

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  • Profile picture of Groucho Groucho said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

    That is the same GOP definition of bi-partisanship. Interesting.

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  • Profile picture of Lamonster Lamonster said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

    Groucho, if you are as aged as I am, you might remember that after Jimmy Carter was handed his hat and shown the door, the remnant of the Dems was lamenting the death of the 2-party system and actually, with the help of Hollywood, held fundraisers akin to LiveAid or FarmAid in order to pay off their debts and regroup. But they survived and I suspect that the losing side this year will too. However, some say the reason we have the Donkey Party we have today is because they were forced to spread the tent so large as to include the fringes that now have a loud voice within the party.

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  • Profile picture of Lamonster Lamonster said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

    “obie can lame duck it and play golf for the next four years.”

    Not so fast, AndyA. Have you seen that list of Executive Orders he has already made?

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  • Profile picture of AndyA AndyA said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

    Yes, but they can be unfunded and or tied up in court and rendered useless.

    “That is the same GOP definition of bi-partisanship. Interesting”
    Also the same dem definition of bi-partisanship. Equaly Interesting. Dems are everything they accuse the repubs of and vice versa.

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  • Profile picture of Groucho Groucho said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

    So, should the “fringes” be left out? Maybe that is the Elephant way, but we Donkies are more open minded. BTW, Dems got back in stride when Clinton moved us to the middle. Might be a heads up for you.

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  • Profile picture of milemarker milemarker said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

    Groucho,

    ” Will it continue to back a conservative, narrow view of government (Tea Party), or will it shift leftward and get more mainstream? “

    I have to quibble with the question’s implicit premise. As you’ve already stated, the Left has shifted to the center due to the leadership of President Clinton. That is true. Universal idealism has been left to the far-left and I don’t expect to see it emerge as a force anytime soon. A corresponding shift occurred on the Right when many conservatives shifted leftward, in effect, leaving the neocons, theoconservative-fundamentalists, libertarians and extremely low-information reactionaries in charge of the Party. That is the state of affairs today.

    None of those in the present-day GOP espouse mainstream conservative philosophy with the exception of the smattering of Republicans who hold strong positions on fiscal responsibility indistinguishable from centrists and not unlike the majority of liberals. And far too many liberals don’t know this about conservatives because of their strong impulse to use “conservative” for a catch-all pejorative in the same way Republicans use “liberal” as a catch-all for any negative criticism of anyone who opposes their view. So it is correct to say Republicans hold a “narrow” view of government rather that the conservative “limited” view of government of classic conservatism. “Narrow” implying “narrow mined view”, is what remains of the majority of the GOP and it is the opposite of conservatism. Conservatives are intellectually flexible. I know liberals like to stake ownership of intellectual flexibility and it would be hard to make a case against that claim from a conservative perspective. But it’s not a trait exclusive to liberals, nor is it a given that liberals are flexible when they may actually be simply exercising limitless compassion (sounds like a rock band: “Compassion Unlimited”) on an issue that merits deeper thought.

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  • Profile picture of Groucho Groucho said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

    I think any side of the political spectrum needs to be ‘intellectually flexible’ in order to govern effectively, although I wouldn’t use the term ‘flexible’, maybe open. There are certain core beliefs that one must adhere to in order to be validated politically (see ‘Romney, Mitt’ as an example of no core). My question about the Republican Party if the President wins another term is what will they change if anything? A loss for them means what they are doing isn’t working. In a second term you will see the Senate go to reconciliation to overcome the threat of filibuster and that will end obstructionism. The House will change or become non-relevant. There are specious e-mails about 100s of Executive Orders but that will become a fact if Republicans try to thwart the will of the public in the 2nd term, IMO.

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