What is the republican party's next move?

[Digital_Trucker]

Originally Posted by Blacklight

I agree with this. The conservative message and philosophies are "out of date" and "out of touch" with the younger and new voters. More and more, the Republican rallies look like old, predominately white, old folk conventions at a country club. Their message and way of doing things just doesn't resonate with the majority of young people who are just getting into the staggering job/houseing/loan market and finding nothing there for them. Add to that a war that's draining millions every hour from us and you definitely will have the younger people turning away from the "Old Folks Convention". The old way of doing things is no longer applicable in today's society.

The real question is, is the old way of doing things no longer applicable in today's society because there is something wrong with the old way of doing things or because there is something wrong with today's society?:hmm:

[joegrundman]

Are you so sure that the conservative way IS the old way?

[Kapt Z]

Originally Posted by August

I recall that 8 years ago people were debating whether the Democrats would ever win back Congress let alone the oval office. The truth of the matter is that it's always easier to criticize the party in power than it is to have to decide the best course of action. The Dems will surely fall again just like they have in the past. The pendulum must swing and it will.

That's what makes my country great...

The pendulum will swing easier if the Republicans-

A)Embrace a 'live and let live' attitude toward 'values'

B)Return to realistic/pragmatic foreign policies

C)Reach out to minorities and address their concerns

D)Understand regulation of industry does not HAVE to be evil

E)Return to fiscally responsible gov't. If a program(s) is important to your constituents then find a way to pay for it. That may even require tax increases occasionally. If the program is popular the pain will be manageable. The only thing worse than 'tax and spend' is 'just spend'

F)Remember GOD does not belong to a political party

[SteamWake]

Originally Posted by joegrundman

Are you so sure that the conservative way IS the old way?

Why dont we ask the founding fathers and the constitution shall we?

[subchaser12]

Originally Posted by Neal Stevens

I do remember, however, you predicted (loud and often) that the Iraq war would end badly for the US (quagmire, insurgents, Viet Nam 2.0) but that hasn't panned out for you.

Ummm, I hate to be rude and point this out, but Iraq has been a total disaster. Well, maybe not a total disaster. It has been a billion dollar godsend for the contractors in Iraq. They are the only real winners in the war. Half my family was tempted with 100,000 a year jobs in Iraq. From cops to ex-military. None of us accepted, there isn't enough money to get tortured to death on youtube by a bunch of dancing insurgents.

[FIREWALL]

[fatty]

Originally Posted by FIREWALL

Why are you posting this in every thread? I don't get it.

[bookworm_020]

Originally Posted by fatty

Why are you posting this in every thread? I don't get it.

He's just driving up his post count!

(must stop myself doing this!)

[August]

Originally Posted by bookworm_020

He's just driving up his post count!

(must stop myself doing this!)

+1

[FIREWALL]

Every Political or whacky wayout thread will be seeing this.

And Right I don't have a clue why your doing this, Go bleach your hair your roots are showing Paris :p

[joegrundman]

Originally Posted by SteamWake

Why dont we ask the founding fathers and the constitution shall we?

let me guess - they said no?

[Blacklight]

The real question is, is the old way of doing things no longer applicable in today's society because there is something wrong with the old way of doing things or because there is something wrong with today's society?:hmm:

I wouldn't use the word "wrong". I'd use the word "changed". Over time, people, society, everything evolves and changes. Everything moves on. There's always going to be the people who cling to the past and claim that the new ways of doing things are wrong, but in reality, it's society evolving. Things change and each party is going to have to change with it if they expect to keep voters. The conservative party has fairly consistently been clinging to the old philosophies and way of doing things. The majority of their supporters are people who tend to want to cling to the past or don't handle change well such as big businesses being run by the "good old boys". While not all the conservatives fall into this category, the vast number of their supporters certainly do and as a matter of fact, usually oppose change in the country's philosophies and those made by scientific discoveries.
So I wouldn't use the word "wrong" at all. Nothing is "wrong". It's just change like we've been doing since the beginning of time.

[August]

Originally Posted by Blacklight

The conservative party has fairly consistently been clinging to the old philosophies and way of doing things. The majority of their supporters are people who tend to want to cling to the past or don't handle change well such as big businesses being run by the "good old boys". While not all the conservatives fall into this category, the vast number of their supporters certainly do and as a matter of fact, usually oppose change in the country's philosophies and those made by scientific discoveries.

You paint with a pretty large brush there Blacklight...

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Neal Stevens

I do remember, however, you predicted (loud and often) that the Iraq war would end badly for the US (quagmire, insurgents, Viet Nam 2.0) but that hasn't panned out for you.

No? What else is it than just this: a quagmire, insurgents still bombing their way around, and your country not one single step closer to a clear miliztary victory, by any means? Not to mention the unimaginable costs and follow-up costs now counting already in 3-5 trillions?

If this is not a quagmire, then I hope I am no longer alive once there is an event that you would agree to call a quagmire. The operational and political goals of the war that you once had for Iraq, are not and will never be acchieved, that simple - and that defines what a military failure is. Your war gets judged by the standards of what you claimed you want to achcieve, and that was a stable American-style democracy serving as an example form others and stemming the tide of Iranian influence. Both you won't get. And I even do not talk about the WMD-claims before the war here.

Why I remind people of when I predicted something? Because I got so often accused over the years, and attacked, to have predicted something wrong, and to have wished for something wrong, and that I would celebrate if it then goes wrong - and then I got proven right nevertheless. That gives some late satisfaction that I was right at the time back then when insisting on that the negative outcome of something could have been seen in advance indeed - if only one would have looked close and careful enough at it. Even Patreus admitts that he is not sure the relative improvement in security he acchieved will last. In past weeks, the frequency and scale of bombing assaults has seen an increase again, for example. The government still is deeply corrupt, and not master of the house. The Iranians lay in wait to let the dust settle a bit. And that all should be a "convincing success"...? Please...

Please don't tell me you consider this status in Iraq anything else but a desaster, after five years and many tens if not hundreds of thousand dead, and many tens of thousands of US troops killed, physically wounded and mentally severly wounded. I count psychological effects on troops due to their often severe social and individual conseqeunces as regular woundings, like if being given a bleeding wound. It is manipulation of statistics to leave those numbers out, and the loss and suffering it could mean for the individual victim can become very, very high and existence-crushing - and often does.

[subchaser12]

I don't think there is anything "wrong" with the republican party per se. I think there isn't anything wrong with any American politcal party on it's merits. Having said that it is obvious that they don't have the numbers that they used to. I mean losing Virginia and North Carolina was astounding. That would be like New York going red. That is a sign of major trouble. If the republican party wants to tout the whole "leave it to Beaver" lifestyle, they won't have the numbers to get back into the Whitehouse. I mean really, who lives like that still? Families are hybrids now. You can't even tell an investment banker from an artist anymore, things have changed. The problem with the right is it's inflexibility. No one fits into their "one right answer" lifestyle, even their supporters usually don't.

The left on the other hand welcomes everyone. From gays on one hand to just regular middle America white families who don't want the church and government telling anyone who they can sleep with or marry.