A Problem of Shrinkage

**CountArach** · 06-23-2009, 06:33

Originally Posted by AlexanderSextus

why not?

He earned more money than most of the Republican candidates and yet he did not even come close to winning a single state in the primary. His policies just aren't popular at all - there are very few Americans who would willingly have his economic policies - such as the gold standard.

Further, the number of libertarians (Who one would naturaly assume would dominate the Ron Paul campaign) in the country are incredibly low:

Libertarian voters make up 4% of the nation’s likely voters and they favor Barack Obama over John McCain by a 53% to 38% margin. Three percent (3%) would vote for some other candidate and 5% are not sure. These results, from an analysis of 15,000 Likely Voter interviews conducted by Rasmussen Reports, challenges the conventional wisdom which assumes that strong support for a Libertarian candidate would hurt John McCain.

**ICantSpellDawg** · 06-23-2009, 13:16

Some people beleive that Americans are generally stupid and emotional. Those same people now believe that The Republican party "Doesn't have a chance in hell of becoming a majority party". That doesn't really equate.

As long as there are stupid constituencies, they will elect stupid representatives. Hopefully, the GOP can return the Democrats to that status and start coming up with ideas of their own. They won't be able to do it using emotion and lazy patriotism.

**Hosakawa Tito** · 06-23-2009, 13:51

One of the GOP's biggest problems is that they set themselves up to fail by always claiming the moral/ethical/family values/uncorruptible/small unintrusive government/I'm more patriotic than thou
high ground, and then inevitibly not delivering on it. The ratio of moral/ethic/policy failures is comparable to Democrats, but the high horse hypocracy and bald use of said "values" for purely political gains doesn't fool too many people. They need to stop listening to the radical/rabid dog neo-con fringe like Gingrich & Company and instead provide reasonable,logical,fiscally responsible opposition where it should be applied; the massive increase in budget spending and increase in federal government. Leading by example would be a nice start.

**HopAlongBunny** · 06-23-2009, 16:35

I doubt the GOP will disappear.

The present crisis will not go away quickly or easily; 2 terms of Bush illustrated that you can fool most of the ppl some of the time, and that the politics of fear is still effective.

The Dem's greatest strength was a platform of inclusion and empowerment; if they fail to deliver the fall will be spectacular.

**ICantSpellDawg** · 06-23-2009, 16:49

Originally Posted by HopAlongBunny

I doubt the GOP will disappear.

The present crisis will not go away quickly or easily; 2 terms of Bush illustrated that you can fool most of the ppl some of the time, and that the politics of fear is still effective.

The Dem's greatest strength was a platform of inclusion and empowerment; if they fail to deliver the fall will be spectacular.

Republicans will succeed if they promote good change rather than simply oppose bad change.

The funny thing is that the Republicans will become the party of change when the current echelons in the younger generation become middle agers. The two party system encourages a balancing act. One party is the party of stagnancy and the other of change. As constituencies age for the larger party, the smaller party goes after the young because it can afford to gamble a bit more. The situation becomes inverse.

I'm a Republican now because there is room for change. When the GOP dinosaurs die out, guys like Ryan and Paul will have a bigger voice in our party and attract younger and brighter voters - all while the geriatric democrats defend their failed policies that sounded progressive 20 years prior, scaring off the youth. Sure the politics will change,That's my take.

**HopAlongBunny** · 06-23-2009, 18:40

Originally Posted by TuffStuffMcGruff

Republicans will succeed if they promote good change rather than simply oppose bad change.

I agree. I think any renewal will come from clearly articulated policy that lines up with Americans' needs and desires.

**Lemur** · 06-23-2009, 23:37

Originally Posted by TuffStuffMcGruff

When the GOP dinosaurs die out, guys like Ryan and Paul will have a bigger voice in our party and attract younger and brighter voters - all while the geriatric democrats defend their failed policies that sounded progressive 20 years prior, scaring off the youth.

A long, detailed essay that correlates with what you're saying, TuffStuff:

We know what happens when movements or parties continue to stagger forward after running out of ideas: They become zombies. Zombie parties are a recurrent feature of electoral democracies. Unable to articulate any coherent or workable governing philosophy, they mindlessly jab at cultural hot buttons, mechanically repeat hardwired tropes ("cut taxes, cut taxes, cut taxes"), nurse tribal resentments, ostracize independent thinkers. Above all, they feel positively proud of their doggedness. You can’t talk them out of it. Think of the Republicans in the FDR years, the Democrats in the Reagan years, the British Labour Party in the Thatcher period, and the British Conservative Party in the Blair period. Think of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party for most of the past half-century, or France’s Socialists today. To get a new brain, zombie parties usually need to spend years out of power or wait until a new generation rises to leadership.

**ICantSpellDawg** · 06-24-2009, 00:15

Originally Posted by Lemur

A long, detailed essay that correlates with what you're saying, TuffStuff:

We know what happens when movements or parties continue to stagger forward after running out of ideas: They become zombies. Zombie parties are a recurrent feature of electoral democracies. Unable to articulate any coherent or workable governing philosophy, they mindlessly jab at cultural hot buttons, mechanically repeat hardwired tropes ("cut taxes, cut taxes, cut taxes"), nurse tribal resentments, ostracize independent thinkers. Above all, they feel positively proud of their doggedness. You can’t talk them out of it. Think of the Republicans in the FDR years, the Democrats in the Reagan years, the British Labour Party in the Thatcher period, and the British Conservative Party in the Blair period. Think of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party for most of the past half-century, or France’s Socialists today. To get a new brain, zombie parties usually need to spend years out of power or wait until a new generation rises to leadership.

Right. That's what tends to happen over time. An investment of time and ideas into the GOP is an investment in the future even though it might be an embarrassment in the present. Our consolation is that no matter the look and smell of a fish now, it all starts to stink over time, so Democrats shouldn't get too used to it. The smart democrats who arn't die hards would be well served to join the GOP because there is more room for you - the Dems are going to become top-heavy and static over the next few years. You like Ron Paul? Do you think that voice can be amplified with the Democrats? Come on over and make the GOP what it will be, don't be afraid of being "out of step with progress". You know it's relative. Get ahead of the curve.