More on that NBC/WSJ poll--shutdown is creating future ex-Republicans

[geek tragedy]

Tea Party Republicans approve of the job congressional Republicans are doing by a 72%-25% margin. However, a plurality of NON-Tea Party Republicans disapprove by a 49%-42% In addition, 69% of Tea Party Republicans believe the GOP is demonstrating strong leadership and standing up for what they believe in, versus 29% of them who say they’re putting their political agenda ahead of what’s good for the country. But those numbers are reversed among NON-Tea Party Republicans -- 53% say they’re putting politics first, while 41% think Republicans are standing up for what they believe in. And then there’s this: Among Tea Party Republicans, Ted Cruz has a 52%-4% fav/unfav rating. But among non-Tea Party it’s 13%-23%. As the saying goes, a house divided against itself can’t stand. And that’s what’s going on in with the shutdown. As MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough said this morning, there are now two Republican parties.

http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/11/20920095-first-thoughts-a-divided-gop-cannot-stand?lite

One group will win, the other will lose. Either way, that party is disintegrating.

[Turbineguy]

1. Just consider how many Democrats

Reagan made! And these guys are much worse.

[NightWatcher]

2. Republicans never die, they just turn into Libertarians

And they'll never shut up about it either.

Sure, now they're concerned with personal choice and freedom....

[geek tragedy]

3. Well, we'll have to see which group wins out.

Either we'll have a moderate, business-oriented third party (which, for better or worse would get absorbed by the Democrats pretty quickly) or we'll get a psycho, insane, Golden Dawn third party.

Which will be all kinds of awesome, since it'll effectively mean 1 party rule.

[JustAnotherGen]

8. +1

I think they'll go all Golden Dawn - race and "otherism" plays a huge part in their movement.

[Warpy]

4. Once Rand Paul gets in there

they'll forget all about that social libertarian nonsense. They'll be just as puritanical and antichoice as he is.

[Tarheel_Dem]

5. The very thought makes me smile.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

6. A Big K&R!

[PFunk]

7. Or we could get a new breed of corp backed democratic DINO/blue dogs.

'nuff said.

[LanternWaste]

9. I think the GOP is experiencing the same practical effect from the Teabaggers...

I think the GOP is experiencing the same practical effect from the Teabaggers that the Democratic party experienced from the Dixiecrats between 1920 and 1950, and the GOP will see one of two things happen: the baggers who learn to play nice will be reabsorbed into the party, or they will split into a third party (which see them blaze out).

Just this week, Big Business began wagging its fingers at the baggers, implying that they need to dial it back, tone it down and play by the rules. The right simply cannot afford afford to piss off Big Business, as Big Business IS the right. Start mucking around with economy and destabilize the market.

And if the baggers do split and form a third party, it would be a subtle gift to the GOP-- the adults could persuade the moderates who have gotten disgusted with the extremist faction of the party to come back. I think the PR coup of casting out the apostates from the body politic would more than make up for the votes they lose from the extremists.

I think that's what's going to happen as soon as in the next two election cycles, and the Teabaggers will, after that, become a odd and fascinating footnote in history by 2020.