I don't think we will see a Republican president in at least 50 years.

[DUlover2909]

Maybe never. After having listened to the Republicans and Independents that called CSPAN and railed on that GOP ass and bitched about the Repukes and Bush I think the GOP is finished. The brand name might stay around, but their philosophy will have to change if they hope to avoid extinction.

I believe that our country will improve so much during Obama's administration that people will realize that America could have been like this all along, if it weren't for Bush, Cheney, and their party. People's lives will improve measurably. People will remember Bush like a painful boil on their ass cheek that seemed like it would never go away, but at last it did, and what a comfort it is to be rid of it.

An administration without lies and scandals! An administration that works with it's majority party to actually accomplish positive improvements for the government and it's owners, the people! Unthinkable!

The remaining vestiges of the old guard GOP will bitch and moan and try to create controversy, but they will be ignored becuase most of Americans finally get it: The Pukes are idiots, hypocrites, and liars. Fox News will be forced to change too. The corporate media in general will get on board and accept the fact that the people are no longer going to sit idly by and take their word for it.

My outlook may seem rosy; I know. I'm excited and I am hopeful. I'm also good at predicting stuff and this is what I see coming. Let's make it happen together.

[nxylas]

1. I wish I could share your optimism

The electorate is fickle and 10 years seems to be the maximum lifespan for a government before they start saying "time for a change" again.

[bulloney]

30. Never underestimate the ignorance of the American voter.

They re-elected Bush despite the bad economic signals, despite information that we went into Iraq on a pack of lies, despite the corruption and cronyism orchestrated by the staff of this president.

Yesterday on NPR, I tuned in the middle of an interview in which the speaker was going on an on about McCain being the candidate of change; about McCain's record as a "maverick" on congressional votes; and on Obama campaigning on "tired old policies from the past."

I wondered who this drug-addicted idiot was? I forgot the name, but the interviewer said he was a Republican campaign strategist.

It's interesting that they're spinning McCain as the anti-Bush. I could have strangled the reporter for not following up on the guy's claims of McCain being a maverick. There are all kinds of reports showing how he's voted with Bush 95-100% of the time. There are all kinds of videos in which McCain speaks in support of Bush's war and economic policies.

This is why I'm skeptical about Democrats occupying the White House in 2009, let alone for the next 50 years. The media stooges will work with the Republicans and pound lies and distortions about Obama and keep McCain's image as a maverick and a voice for change intact.

The Republican smear machine will dream up an emotion issue or several emotion issues and people will forget the incompetence of the Republican administrations of the past and vote on those emotion issues instead.

[Fumesucker]

2. Nixon resigned in disgrace...

And we got exactly *one* Democratic president before the Republicans were back in power again..

[FarCenter]

28. The Obama presidency could be a lot like the Carter presidency

Economic stagnation coupled with high inflation (stagflation) will be a very genuine threat to his winning a second term.

Obama will have a seriously difficult first term putting the country back on the right track economically.

[nxylas]

32. Actual comment on Freak Republic

"It took a Carter to get us a Reagan", meaning that the poster thought Obama would be a one-term president who would usher in the second coming of St. Ronnie.

[mwb970]

37. Many Freepers are making the Carter comparison.

They also delight in calling Obama a "moonbat Marxist", based on what I have no idea. They are terrified of "Obama tyranny", whatever that is. What a bunch of loons!

Of course, most of them seem to hate mcSame too, but not it's because he's too much of a fascist - it's because he's not enough of one!

Myself, I'd take Carter over any Republican, any day.

[nxylas]

43. It doesn't occur to them that Bush might equal Carter

The lame-duck president who got replaced by one who redefined politics. With any luck, Obama will be as great as Reagan was, but while Reagan was "great" only in the sense that he achieved a lot, Obama will hopefully be great in that he achieves positive change, as sweeping as the negative changes that Reagan brought in.

[mwb970]

53. As far as I can tell, our massive downhill slide started with Reagan.

There were signs before 1980 that the American public was reaching a threshold of ignorance and stupidity that would allow dark forces to take over the government. But with Reagan's ascendancy the deluded and the foolish finally took over, and they've basically been in charge ever since. It is heartbreaking hearing Republican leaders sucking up to this phony, barrel-chested, C-movie non-leader.

Obama is the best sign of hope we've had in decades. He's doomed.

[MrSlayer]

3. LOL! Obama will get 8 years and people will forget how awful Republicans were.

And vote another one in, who will fuck everything up royally...again. A lot of people vote on "we need to change" whether the previous administration was good or not. I know several people who voted for Bush in 2000 on that basis. "Yeah things have been good but we need something different" is what a lot of people told me and despite my warnings they went ahead and did it. Don't underestimate the naivete, fickle nature and ignorance of the general public.

[madokie]

4. I believe so too

I'll be the first to admit that we're in the minority around here though. I have faith that my fellow Americans will do the right thing, now that they are starting to hear and read about what has been really going on, the lies, wars and such. Yes there is better days lying just around the corner, up over this next hill, november '08 and january '09 and I say don't ever let anyone tell you differently either. :hi: welcome to DU

[Cobalt-60]

5. Junior and company have gone the extra mile

The misery these scum have sown far exceeds that of more petty criminals like
Reagan or Bush Sr.
It won't be quickly forgotten.
We need to make sure it is remembered by constantly hammering the Pukes with the blame
and unfavorable comparisons.
I submit also that the GOP has been permanently stained by torture.
Those that stayed after Junior admitted torture or any that join the GOP with that knowledge
should be considered accessories.
We should stress just how sick a f*ck a person would have to be to sign up with them by referring to
them whenever possible as the Torture Party.
The longer they stay down the happier I'll get.
They'll stay down longer if we kick their ribs in.

[madokie]

6. At every chance and at every turn I never fail to mention the many evils of bush/cheney

these guys aren't your average ole criminals either, they are real war criminals. People who others in this world will be delighted in knowing they will get their day in court. Yes I'd hate to be inside the skin of any of these traitors, in fact just thinking about them makes my skin crawl

[hogwyld]

25. God Bless GWB!

He's done more to destroy the GOP than any outside force ever could. I really hope this is the end of the pukes and the current 2 party system. The only 2 parties we need are the Dems, and in a distant 2nd, the Greens.
For those humor challenged, the headline is of course :sarcasm:

[lanlady]

7. hope that's true, but--

--after Nixon resigned I recall news pundits of the time saying there would not be another Repug president for 25 years...

[KharmaTrain]

8. I Thought The Same In 1974...

I felt there was no way this country would ever elect another GOOP crook like Nixon, but I was wrong...boy was I wrong. Or should I say, short attention span is an American trait. WIthin 2 years Raygun emerged as the new "savior" of the "conservative" movement...Nixon being both ignored and considered an anomoly. Many of the current crooks cut their teeth in this regime and slowly infested our government and national discourse.

As has been said many times here, it's not just the GOOP that we have to fight this year, but a corporate media hellbent on taking any little divide within Democrats and building it into some major weakness. Be assured that any "honeymoon" time a President Obama has will be short and the GOOP will be as ostinate and obstructionist as ever...thus the need to put them in a major hole this November.

Unless there's a thorough investigation of this regime, the moment these goons leave they've be "outta sight outta mind" and the remnants of the GOOP will regroup and attempt to ignore the booosh years as yet another anomoly. If there's continued problems...the messes are so deep that an Obama administration has difficulties putting out all the fire...be assured that the corporate media will be helping give voice to the GOOP and all the crimes and corruption will be forgotten...all the focus will be on how Democrats are screwing up.

That said, I'm very optimistic about the current group of Progressive and Liberal legislators starting to emerge in Washington. I honestly believe there will be a drastic mood and attitude change inside that fishbowl that is long overdue and if things go well, it could open the door to at least several years where a Liberal/Progressive agenda can succede. I've never seen better prospects for this in my many years, but a lot of work still needs to be done...and nothing can be taken for granted.

Cheers...

[zanne]

22. That's an excellent post, KharmaTrain.

I don't know how long us Dems will be able to play fair with the Repubs and the corporate media. At this point, the self-imploding Republican Party has nothing left but smears and dirty tricks. As we all know, they've been very successful with those tactics in the past.

I agree that the Bush regime should not go unchallenged in history. We need investigations to uncover the lies and corruption, not just to benefit the Democratic party but to prevent the lies and dirty tricks in the future.

[Oak2004]

52. There are significant differences

In 1974, Dick Nixon was gone, but the party he represented was in very good health indeed. Nixon had orchestrated a political realignment, stripping the South from the New Deal coalition. Structurally, the party was thriving (I know, I was a Republican at the time). The Republicans had a healthy, disciplined structure at the grassroots, whereas the Democrats were weak. And the party itself was not stained by Nixon's misdeeds: in fact, Republicans played a key role in pushing him out.

There were no extraordinary threats to the United States: the hated war was winding down, tensions were easing between the superpowers, though the US was wrestling with inflation, for the most part people could find reasonably priced housing and well-paying jobs.

2008 is a very different beast. It's the Democrats who appear to be orchestrating a realignment. The Democratic grassroots are thriving, while Republican party registrations are falling and rank and file Republicans talk of deserting the party. The GOP itself is rightfully tarred with having supported Bush every step of the way. The military is all but broken and there is no end in sight for the wars. The nation, and the world, seem to stand at the brink of an economic and environmental collapse.

This is less like 1974 than it is like 1933. It remains to be seen whether Obama -- and the grassroots-- can rise to the occasion.

[indepat]

9. I thought the same early in junior's first administration

Silly me. :D

[JohnnyLib2]

10. Speaking as senior citizen Democrat--

ain't gonna happen. Sorry.

[liberal N proud]

11. This country could only be so lucky, But...

those who desire power beyond what is naturally granted them are devious and will use all means necessary to take power from those who should have it.

It goes on every day in politics, governments, business, clubs and families. It is the dark side of the human nature.

[Mr. Blonde]

12. Depends exactly what you mean

I can see no Repbulican being elected to the Presidency again. However, it is unlikely that no conservative politician is elected to that office in the next 50 years. A new and untarnished by Bush/Cheney conservative party would not be a bad thing for either the country or the Democratic party. Especially if said party could win on its own policy merits and not by using abortion and teh gays as boogeymen to scare people into voting for them.

I'm not a fan of total control of the government by either party. Unquestionably the Republican party has rotted to the core and doing away with it would not be bad, but both sides need healthy opposition to keep them honest, and keep them healthy. But then I could be wrong, I'm just a huge believer in the middle way. What can I say.

[havocmom]

13. When the tremendous harm the GOP has done since 1968 is not undone in 60 days,

Lots of people will be screaming for the DEMS to be out of office. Obama will be blamed for not fixing, in very short order, what took decades to damage the US to this point.

Think Carter after Nixon was a bad deal for the DEMs? Nixon was bad, but the nation was not in nearly this awful shape. The damage will take GENERATIONS to repair, but Obama & the DEMS will be hissed at for not restoring the good ol US of A in the blink of an eye.

Most Americans really do work with magical thinking. Even here at DU, we do it. So many still think all it would take is the Magic Gore to step up and our collective asses would be magically saved.

The DEMS will end up with the brunt of the collective angst as the shit hits the fan from the damage the GOP has set in motion. Took them decades, but they have pretty well assured we will be broke, have lots of enemies, have no real resources nor friends for generations.

DEMS will end up trying to answer for what their traitor predecessors have wrought.

[frogcycle]

16. the right's ability to marginalize Carter was impressive

he rightly recognized the coming issues with dependence on oil, and tried to start a realistic energy policy. Aside from his peacemaking efforts, this was his most important accomplishment (or effort to accomplish) and they did a job on him over it.

By contrast, after the debacle of the 20's, we got twenty years of dems and then a reasonably moderate republican, then 8 years of dems, before the extreme right got back in power.

Had Nixon not so thoroughly screwed the pooch, they were ready then for Rove's 100-year run, having been licking their chops all that time.

People need to really understand that this isn't Kennedy vs Nixon, or Carter vs Reagan, or bush vs Gore, or Obama vs McCain.

It is America vs the cabal. The cabal that hates regulated capitalism, hates democracy, and wants fascism. It is that fucking simple. The same mindset as medieval feudalism. Extremely rich people in castles, everyone else in squalor.

The "war on terror" is a smokescreen for the real "war on democracy"

[KSCFAN]

20. Ding Ding Ding.

This is the correct answer.

The only thing Obama can do on his own without Congres is to change our foreign policy. He has to bring all of our troops home from all over the world. It costs on the order of $1-$2 Trillion a year to maintain our empire and our troops in over 150 countries and the worlds seas. We can't be the worlds policeman. It's time for this cop to retire. Saving that kind of money will make our economy take off. When we all are wealthy again it will be very easy to fund the programs needed to help the less fotunate.

But if he concentrates on the domestic programs first the spending in addition to what we spend abroad will sink this economy further. Then you will see a "fiscally conservative" Republican in office.

First things first. Get the troops home.

[bulloney]

31. I think it will take something of the magnitude of the Great Depression to keep Republicans out

of the White House for more than one term. Maybe something even greater, given the attention span of today's American voters.

Once Roosevelt took office in 1933, Republicans didn't control the White House until 1953.

[magellan]

39. True, but don't forget

...the Repubs didn't do all this damage on their own, and the Dems haven't been falling over themselves to hold the Repubs accountable where they should either.

[wain]

14. Be careful

Based on demographics I thought the same. Then 1994 happened.

[frogcycle]

15. read Right is Wrong

by Ariana Huffington

An amazing treatise on the bizarro-world rw "philosophy."

Sure, they have stumbled. But they have stumbled before, and keep coming lurching back to stir up masses of gullible voters. People have incredibly short memories.

Their "government is bad/ unfettered capitalism is good" mantra resonates with a lot of people, and will continue to do so.

No matter how good a job the dems do, that message will always find its adherents in (1) big business (2) extremely wealthy individuals (3) hateful have-nots and (4) naive middle-classers who think they are going to be in group (2) some day and vote against self-interest betting on that unlikely future.

The "enemy" was once "godless communism;" then it became "tax and spend democrats;" then "terrists;" and once the ship of state is righted it will go back to "tax and spend democrats" despite the fact that the policies of the cabal have taken more spending power away from the middle class than any fiscally responsible tax policy would.

[Vogon_Glory]

17. Maybe, Maybe Not

I'm not so sure that the Republicans are down for the count quite yet. While I hope that the GOP will get a drubbing that will make what happened to them in 1964 look like a minor setback, I've grown too paranoid to believe it.

While I think that Team Shrub and the GOP Congress have taken the GOP brand down to the aisles of disrepute, the landscape is different than it was in 1964 and in the late 1970's. We've got a whoring corporate press. The right wing has a superb propaganda organization. We've got an easily-distracted voting public with attention deficit disorder and no political memory to speak of.

Even as things are now, Barrack Obama and the Democratic ticket have one hell of a fight on their hands. We know how beholden the broadcast and cable news media are to the Recrudlicans. We all are exquisitely aware that there is media bias, all right--media bias in favor of the Republicans. We have voter restriction efforts underway from those people, a jaded media more than willing to blow political chickenscratch like misplaced file folders, mussed hair, and too-costly haircuts into major scandals while ignoring grand theft like Halliburton, UBS, and other rip-offs, and a media establishment utterly unwilling to admit that they've been handing the public the green and reeking end of the stick. We still have party leaders who think that the glory days of the 1960s can come back if they sit back and relax. And we have too many people in the DNC who would give the Bushies a free pass from well-deserved prosecution if Barrack Obama becomes President next years in the name of "bi-partisanship."

[lpbk2713]

18. In 50 years the rethuglican party will just be a notation in the history books.

And deservedly so.

[CanonRay]

19. That's what I said right after Watergate.

Bullshit is remarkably resilient. It has incredible elastic properties.

[Dangerman]

21. If you ask me...

I am forever tormented by living under BOTH Bushes and I realized the true colors of Ronald Reagan.

I don't want to live under a goddamn Repuke president again!

[live love laugh]

23. Republicons own the votes by way of voting machines--why won't they "win"? nt

[Juche]

24. Hard to say

The reality is demographics are changing to benefit the democrats and hurt the contemporary GOP.

The number of Asians, blacks and latinos is growing rapidly, while whites are shrinking. These groups vote dem about 70-80% of the time. Of course that could change in time, who knows.

We are becoming more urban and less rural, urban people are more democrat (but not by much).

We are becoming less of a christian nation and a more secular, agnostic or faith other than christianity nation. All of this hurts the GOP.

Traditional families (married with children) are becoming less common and replaced with non-traditional families. One leans GOP, the other not.

Due to higher turnout of non-whites in the south, the immigration of northerns into the south and the rise of youth who are less partisan, even the solid south is becoming purple. At the same time the southwest (Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, etc) are becoming more purple too due to latinos and young voters.

With luck, the GOP may have lost the support of Generation Y (which I am a member of) for life. We voted dem by 20 pt margins in 2006 and with Obama on the ticket will probably vote with 30 pt margins in 2008.

If the dems get into power and rebuild the union movement, that'll boost the funding and organization power of the democrats for a long time.



So many demographics that favor the GOP are breaking down while the ones that benefit liberals and progressives are growing. Solid GOP areas like the sparesly populated northern midwest, the southwest and the south are becoming purple. Young people won't touch the GOP and if we get a real union movement, the dems will have a huge organization and fundraising arm to help them.

If the GOP has truly lost the support of all non-white, non-christian, non-tradional familied people and all people under 30 then yeah, they are fucked for a long long time.

[DUlover2909]

34. You articulated better than I did why I feel this way. Thanks.

[PCIntern]

26. 1964 Redux...?

We said that in '64...There wer some predicting the end of the Rethug Party then...who could possibly beat Johnson again and then there was the Kennedy Family...another 16 years at least...then the next generation of Kennedys or Dodds or whomever. Ha. Ha. Ha.

[Xenotime]

27. Perhaps the term "republican" will go away like the whig party

With only dems in office we can then speak with one voice.

[leftofthedial]

29. never underestimate the stupidity, ignorance and fear of the Amurkan public

They "elected" ronnie raygun only 4 years after the Nixon-Ford debacle, and kept "re-electing" repukes or repuke-lites ever since, despite illegal "wars," the S&L scandal, Iran Contra, horrific national security lapses, etc.

We no longer have a functioning democracy here either.

In most other countries what you say would be true.

[MonkeyFunk]

33. That's a nice thought

but thoroughly unrealistic.

[ColbertWatcher]

35. The GOP will...

...do what their ideological brothers, the creationists, did and simply change their name.

The GOP will co-opt the name "Libertarian" as part of their "rebranding".

You know who else stole another party's name?

[Occulus]

49. So we poison the well.

Libertarians are Republicans who smoke pot.

:D

[VP505]

36. Sure hope your right but....

Obama is going to have to do things that won't help him any win popularity contests to get this country back on track. The Reptilians are going to be ready to criticize, slam, slime and obstruct at every turn. No doubt its going to be one hell of a tough job. Having said that I firmly believe Obama is up for the challenge, his supporters will have to dig deep to keep supporting him but I think YES WE CAN!

[Firespirit]

38. I see two possible scenarios

Both assume that Obama wins, we take 58+ seats in the Senate and increase our House margin by a similar ratio.

1. In the first year, Obama kicks the Congress's ass to tax the rich and the corporations, pulls out of Iraq, imposes big penalties for corporate offshoring, and sets aside huge funds for alternative energy and public transit. We turn the corner and narrowly avoid a Depression. The Attorney General, with the aid of numerous Republican US Attorneys who know things, gets charges filed against many of Rove's band for domestic crimes. Information about war crimes hits the mainstream, and they are finally called "war crimes." The Administration breaks up big media.

The Generation Y and Millennial vote, which is 60% Dem, stays loyal, giving us a long-term majority in Congress. 2010, the Ron Paul fanatics -- most of the remaining 40% of the young vote -- act as the Dean movement for the GOP, and manage to get rid of some of their worst neocons and theocons. The GOP moves in the libertarian direction, and gives up their obsession with "values" wedge issues, seeing the writing on the wall with the new generations. Their big issue becomes the size of government, for real this time, with immigration as a close second. Not views I'd support, but not overtly evil like the neocons. I really think that long-term, Dems have a better shot of turning the South blue than areas like Montana and Idaho. The South loved FDR, black and white, and I think that seeing an African-American president make things so much better for them -- white people -- could go a long way to dispel prejudice and racist ideas that "blacks want to screw over whites."

In short, we respond to a crisis as we did in the 30s.


2. Obama can't get much done, for the spiteful Repukes stonewalling him in Congress. We sink into Depression and it gets blamed on the Dems. Forget investigating anything; it is "a partisan witch hunt" and the Dems are made into the bad guys. The neocon structure stays intact. 2012, they nominate a photogenic, "inspiring" lunatic, who sweeps the vote. Game over. Maybe Europe will reconstruct us in 25 years.

In other words, we respond to a crisis as Germany did in the 30s.

[Phred42]

40. It will take that long to clean up the mess they've caused

Assuming we have Progressive Adults ar the helm for the next 50 years

[rockymountaindem]

41. Don't be ridiculous

We'll be lucky to get eight years of Obama. If the willingness of people to put up with this train wreck for the past eight years doesn't show the resiliency of the "conservative movement", I don't know what will.

[Monk06]

42. Unless Barak consistently polls double digits ahead of Gramps they'll steal the election...again.

[Skittles]

44. tmost of those complainers will still goose-step and vote repuke

count on it

[ContraBass Black]

45. Didn't we all say that in 2004?

[Killy]

46. The Second Coming of Carter?

My worst fear is that Obama goes the way of Carter. After all the crap the Republicans are doing to the United States, the fact that Obama might not be able to get the train completely back on the tracks will be blamed solely on him and the Democratic party.

Carter had it bad. I hope things are different this time for Obama and the Democratic Party.

[Uncle Joe]

47. I believe four things.

1. The corporate media will start slamming and blowing mole hills in to mountains before Obama finishes his oath of office. If his wife's third cousin gets a speeding ticket, they will tie it to Obama if nothing else just by mentioning his name. They will continue with that throughout his administration up to and including two terms.

2. The Internet will make it increasingly difficult for them to wage their slime jobs without rebuke while also bringing the corporate media's own malfeasance to the attention of the American People.

3. The Republicans and maybe a few Democrats concerned with nothing but obtaining or maintaining power will do their best to attack the Internet in whatever manner they can to neutralize the growing power of the American People at the behest of the corporations that want to reestablish some form of information monopoly.

4. The Internet will take those people and corporations down, if it doesn't I see Republicans and Quisling like Democrats in government for the foreseeable future splitting a 70/30 or at best 60/40 percent share of power. Corporations will definitely dominate and the "Land of the Free" will becoming an increasingly bitter joke as the American People are reduced even more to the state of vassals to be used and discarded at will.

I believe this is why it is vital to our democratic republic, the American People's well being and the promise of democracy to be ever watchful for those; whether cynical politicians or the corporations that would harm or weaken the Internet by using Trojan Horse legislation with Orwellian names all for the purpose of neutralizing the growing power and influence of the American People with their own government.

Thanks for the thread, DUlover2909.

[opihimoimoi]

48. The first Rec??? The Demise of the GOP can and should HAPPEN

Its a Party built on PHOTO OPS and BS

They win by trickery

They are BULLIES....wanting THEIR WAY so as to enrich themselves at the expense of the Nation/People

All they do is Nit Pick on small shit...never suggesting any ideas of great merit....nada

Look all around you for evidence....ya don't have to look far....

[Fearless]

50. HA! WE'VE SAID THAT BEFORE! We never learn from history.

[and-justice-for-all]

51. The death of NeoConism/Rethugs would be..

no love lost. Perhaps the rethug party will go the way of the nazi party.

[RB TexLa]

54. You are grossly underestimated the ignorance of the American voters.

[SirDaddybear]

55. From your keyboard....

to God's ear!!!!!:)

[treestar]

56. They already are moderating a bit

Some repukes think McSame is a liberal! :rofl:

[Brewman_Jax]

57. Never say never

Enough people voted for Bush* in 2 consecutive elections to allow cheating to happen, so don't bet your 401(k) on that. Not to mention enough people voted for that moron in spite of the good economy left by Clinton. Add to that a poorly informed public and a very lax corporate-controlled press that has kept the scandals and lies off of the front pages. Your prediction would be accurate--in a fair and perfect world, but not in this one.