I'm Thinking The Only Way The Repugs Will Remain A Viable Party Going Forward Is For.....
them to cooperate with President Obama and the Dems and do the things that are necessary to get this country back on track. That includes things like spending on infrastructure (creating jobs), funding alternative energy development, closing loopholes to generate revenue, assure that Social Security and Medicare are protected, etc.
I've been thinking about this for quite some time now from the perspective of what I would do if I were in the Repugs shoes. I don't know if I'm going to express this right - but here I go.
I think the American people - including present Repug voters - are getting fed up with the continual partisan non-cooperation with this administration and the resultant decline in our way of life here in America. The quickest way to turn this country around is to make sure we have a strong middle class to buck us up.
If the Repugs continue taking the wrong side off all these issues just because they think this is the way back to power - they are strongly mistaken. Continuing to take the same positions that got them into the mess they are in as a party now - will only sink them further. No re-branding will work if they don't change their ways and get their heads into this 21st century.
So my thought here is that the only way they can remain viable going forward is to cooperate and show that they understand the plight of women, the poor, the sick and the dwindling middle class and come around to do the common sense things that will get this country back on track. It's not rocket science and some small cooperative tweaks can make things good for all of us - including their traditional constituents.
Continuing to follow their old ways will only cause Americans to think less and less of them going forward. However, if they do cooperate and begin to help the President get this country back on track - Americans will again to begin to respect them and see that they are really sincere in turning this country around for the 99%er's and not be considered the party of the rich 1%.
Then they can say they have re-branded themselves and become a more viable party going forward and maybe start turning things around for themselves. They need to do the right thing and not be contrary to the President no matter what he attempts to do.
Repugs - if you want to be re-elected - get your head out of your asses and do the right thing.
I think they need to take the lead from Chris Christie that appears to remain popular amongst his constituents because he does the right thing for them and not always take the partisan - political positions.
Your thoughts on this?
= new reply since forum marked as read
The issue is urgent. Very little can get done in this country politically without a rough consensus in the political system. Yet no reasonable consensus can be reached where one of the 2 major parties has taken on the nature of a political third party, an extremist faction on the political spectrum whose views are obviously out of date, flagrantly false and at odds with the historic values of mainstream American society. The United States is currently in a long-term decline, which will become irreversible if causes are not addressed. Thus, the answer to the question of whether a GOP evolution can take place is among the most important facing the nation. Let’s look at the chances.
Demographic changes have certainly shown that the principal political strategy of the Republican Party for the last 35 years, namely, appeal to the White Vote, is increasingly ineffective in delivering an electoral majority. Obama and the Democrats have assembled a multi-racial, multi-generational and multi-cultural coalition of women, minorities, educated, young people and political progressives that is increasing both in absolute numbers and relative to the white vote. This coalition is immune to defection to the Republican Party as presently constituted as the racist, misogynist, nativist, hate mongering and socio-economic elitist political affinity group that it is. As a result traditional issues raised by the Republicans – the so-called “culture war” issues based on race, religion, gender and national origin -- have now become wedge issues AGAINST the Republicans. Go figure! Unless the Republicans change not only their rhetoric, but their policies, too, they’re finished in national elections.
But what happens if they try it? The White Vote strategy actually holds back the Republicans from changing, because without the racism, sexism, nativism, religious bigotry, and homophobia, they have nothing to deliver to the white electorate masses. Their message of economic elitism and exclusivity has no mass appeal whatsoever. At a fundamental level, the conservative movement, the Right and the Republican Party are so hostile to the notion of social and economic equality that they can’t effectively change political strategies without abandoning their so-called “principles” (better known as prejudices) – particularly, those relating to economic inequality.
This leaves the GOP in an electoral bind. If it changes policy or even rhetoric on social equality issues, it may have to abandon the White Vote strategy (as Paul Ryan and others have hinted or implied). But doing so might just undermine its allegiance to the economic inequality that is the very raison d’être of the Republican Party. Remember, the Right believes (and virtually the only “principle” that the Right believes in is) that “property rights” are absolute and sacrosanct; that the free market system is based on the unfettered transfer of property; and that market forces must not be interfered with - - regardless of their accompanying deleterious economic, social and political effects.
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/can-gop-rebrand-itself-responsible-center-right-party
Thought you might want to see this since it was relevant to your OP. 
