Is The Republican Party Disintigrating?
I think we've all noticed and commented at some point or another the
Republican Party's tendency to press hard for "Ideological Purity".
Any Republican who says something against this group is immediately taken to task... and they often fall in line quickly... OR LEAVE!
But as a result it seems they are alienating MANY Conservative Republicans.
Anybody Repug that is Pro-Choice - Unwelcome
Anybody Repug that is Pro-Gay - Unwelcome
Anybody Repug that is Pro-Muslim - Unwelcome
In their quest for ideological purity they are going to have nobody left.
This is evidenced by the formation (and apparent growth) of alternate Conservative Parties such as... well....
And I've hear Rachel (and maybe KO) reporting on the actual formation (in Florida) of:
The TEA PARTY (No link just yet....)
One has to imagine that these new and growing Conservative partys are composed primarily of Republicans (Former) and some Libertarians...
With the formations of these parties... and their subsequent growth over the past 2 years or so... And if this trend continues... one has to wonder if the Republican Party proper will be able to muster enough support to ever get another candidate elected as President.
Are we really seeing the Repug Snake eating it's own tail? Is their narrowmindedness going to destroy them (as predicted)?
Any Republican who says something against this group is immediately taken to task... and they often fall in line quickly... OR LEAVE!
But as a result it seems they are alienating MANY Conservative Republicans.
Anybody Repug that is Pro-Choice - Unwelcome
Anybody Repug that is Pro-Gay - Unwelcome
Anybody Repug that is Pro-Muslim - Unwelcome
In their quest for ideological purity they are going to have nobody left.
This is evidenced by the formation (and apparent growth) of alternate Conservative Parties such as... well....
The American Conservative Party
And I've hear Rachel (and maybe KO) reporting on the actual formation (in Florida) of:
The TEA PARTY (No link just yet....)
One has to imagine that these new and growing Conservative partys are composed primarily of Republicans (Former) and some Libertarians...
With the formations of these parties... and their subsequent growth over the past 2 years or so... And if this trend continues... one has to wonder if the Republican Party proper will be able to muster enough support to ever get another candidate elected as President.
Are we really seeing the Repug Snake eating it's own tail? Is their narrowmindedness going to destroy them (as predicted)?
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Oh I always say: LET US PRAY
Repubs were a coalition. Just like the Dems. The bad coalition is disintegrating and Joe Scarborough says that all the time, including this morning.
But they shall arise again. Every time I thought it was over for the Dems, we came back...sort of. Repubs were dead in 1964 and Nixon was elected four years later.
The American people even give the bastards double terms. Except for HW.
November 11, 2009 12:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Repubs run to the right, Dems run to the center.
The reason Dems run to the center is because they want to win, which is why Repubs run to the right.
We must be, in the context of relatively recent history, a right-leaning nation, that will express these preferences in the face of any but the greatest disasters.
November 11, 2009 1:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's what amazes me - America actually voted for Nixon(?), Reagan(!), and Bush the Younger twice.
Have we finally learned? We can only hope...
November 11, 2009 1:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Didn't you mean The American Neo-Fascist Party.
"In your heart you know they're Right. In your guts you know they're Nutz."
C
November 11, 2009 4:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
OK look, i don't expect KO or his writers to understand; nor do i expect them to proffer a proper analysis, but there already is: The Boston Tea Party.
It probably isn't what you think it is though. It was founded in 2006 by a few Libertarian Party activists, who believed the LP had been jacked by right-wing extremists, and no longer placed individual liberty at its deserved place of primacy. The Boston Tea Party was founded several years before this present manifestation of FoxShamNews.
November 11, 2009 4:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good to know. Thanks.
Still... There are current conservative groups that are forming and have some big name backing...
The two aren't mutually exclusive.
November 11, 2009 4:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
So we've got the Conservative Party, The Boston Tea Party, and/or The Tea Party. Add the Greens and the Libertarians and we've got an interesting stew.
I know it won't happen, but sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have a mixed bag of strong parties: maybe the Conservatives, Republicans, Libertarians, Democrats, and Liberals. Who needs umbrella parties when you can mix 'n match?
November 11, 2009 4:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well... now that you mention it... Given the tendency of Dems to act like a herd of cats, I supposed it'd perfectly within our character to divide and conquer ourselves just the same, huh?
Although... a "Liberal Party" would have a certain charm...
November 11, 2009 5:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Charming, absolutely! But is there any guarantee that the people who wound up representing such a party would be less corrupt than our current leaders? Positions of power tend to attract the power-hungry, which are generally the last people you want in power. How do we get around that if we wanted to have our own party?
November 11, 2009 7:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ever read "Songs From Distant Earth" - Arthur C. Clarke ?
November 11, 2009 8:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Tea Party? Does that mean the far-right lunatic fringe is also abandoning the Republican't party?
Otherwise:
How can a party opposed to integration disintegrate?
November 11, 2009 11:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
There will definitely be changes in the future. I am a member of Generation Y and I can tell you that firsthand that there aren't too many people my age who would fit within the narrowing confines of the GOP. That is certainly not to say there are not an abundance of fiscal conservatives among people my age, but, like you indicate, there exists an entire list of pre-requisites (pro-choice, anti gay marriage, etc) that naturally eliminate most people from the party.
It's interesting to note the divide that has opened among Baby Boomer's with regard to the cultural ideals of the GOP. If people in their 50's and 60's are having a harder time identifying with the party, it's only going to get worse for the GOP because people in their 20's and 30's are, for the most part, socially liberal in terms of race and religion (among other things).
Personally, I've been advocating for years the dire need for a viable 3rd party in our national politics. From an ideological standpoint, Libertarianism does fit the "fiscally conservative, socially liberal" mantra that a great deal of Gen Y'ers identify with, but that party needs to really reform itself from within before it can be taken seriously from without. It's never constructive when the legalization of marijuana is the #1 policy platform of its members.
November 12, 2009 11:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
Not only that... but the future that would be created by the Libertarians is very bleak indeed. Sheesh... talk about class division! There's would be a world where you take care of yourself and if you can't, well, piss off! No gov't help or interference. That, combined with little or no regulation of business... and I think it's a toxic recipe for disaster.
November 16, 2009 2:18 PM | Reply | Permalink