Cantor - The Big Picture and the demise of the republican party.

[Bonhomme Richard]

Do you think the republicans were defeated over the debt limit because the people were upset?
Not a chance. Boehner had to suck it up because Wall Street and Corporate America were tired of the shenanigans. It was going to cost them a lot of money and I am sure they read him the riot act. He was willing to do the one thing republicans loathe to do. Admit defeat.

I think we can agree that Wall Street and Corporate America really pull the strings of both parties (though obviously Republicans more so than Democrats) when it comes to fiscal and foreign policy. Big Business doesn't care about social issues, or religion, or abortion, or gun control. They care about one thing...the ability to make money and the one thing they will not tolerate is uncertainty. It's bad for business. The republicans are rapidly losing control of the party to ideological radicals and you can't control ideologues. They are willing to burn down the Country rather than negotiate. Big Business helped create the monster and now they are going to have to destroy it or risk losing control.

IMHO we are going to see a drying up of Corporate money to the Republican Party and a shift of that support to the Democrats.

Then again...what do I know.

[villager]

1. Well, the Democrats *are* good and loyal corporatists

Now if only there was a major political party even somewhat to the left-of-center...

[DetlefK]

2. Of course. Why buy a candidate who has other priorities?

Here's my speculation:
The rift in the republican party will widen and the fanatics will gain more power, pushing away voters and donations. At the same time, republican donors will focus on moderates. (~ 2014-2016)

Eventually, the intra-party-power will shift back to the moderates, but the fanatics will feel betrayed and will split from the republican party. (~ 2020)

The new situation after 2025 will be two major moderate parties at 50% and 40%, and a whackjob-party at 10%.




That's the problem with a 2-party-system: If there already were a fringe-party to the right of the republicans, they wouldn't dare becoming so extreme as not to loose voters to that fringe-party.