Downfall of the Republican Party?

There's certain messages being sent from the Republican party that there is no room for moderates, will this in the end hurt the Republican party beyond repair?

Conservative social views are being seen more and more as a turn off with the younger generations. The conservative message in general is a VERY appealing message to everyone, lower taxes, not spending all the money we have left and right, etc. But I think what will end up hurting the party is there views on abortion, same-sex marriage, stem-cell research, legalization of drugs, the death penalty, and more and more social issues.

The Republican party has shrunk to there core constituency since the last election, the ultra-far right conservatives. Look at the last election in New York's 23rd district, Palin and many in the Republican party came to the conclusion that the Republican candidate who won the primary was not 'conservative' enough, alot said it was because of her social views, so she dropped out which in the end gave the congressional seat to the Democrats, although that district has a history of sending Republican reps to the house.

My question is this: If Republicans really want to make a change should they go back to the big tent party that they had under Ronald Reagan and awhile afterwards, things were going great then?

In my opinion if Republicans want to change the country to a more fiscally conservative one they are going to have to open the door to people with more liberal views or at least not have a stance on liberal views, neither support or oppose them, it's mainly the evangelical wing of the conservative party that turns me and most young people I know off and that's really all that's left representing the Republican party.

I think the return to fiscal conservationism will save the republican party if they can embrace it. We're talking about the party of abraham lincoln here. There was a time when the party fought on the side of equal rights and has some really social views.

The highjacking of the party with the moral majority, and the mixing of religious views in politics was a dying gamble. If they can let that go, and say, we don;t agree, but it's not how you do politics they can grow into a national liked party.

The political tides go back and forth a lot. After this administration is over, the tide will turn back and if they present a unified fiscal ideal they can take the reigns once again.

If the republican party can't do this, a new one will arise.

Originally posted by Seiko

If the republican party can't do this, a new one will arise.

Yes, I wish Ron Paul would leave the party and create his own to bring to power, that would be great and an in your face wake up call to the people in charge of the Republican Party.

We're talking about the party of abraham lincoln here.

Actually, it wasn't the party of Lincoln, back in the 1930's I think it was both of the parties did 180's on there policies, the south used to be dominated by Democrat's at this time, basically what i'm saying is back then the parties held opposing ideas than what they did today. Back then the Republican party was the more liberal party, and the Democrat party was the traditional evangelical conservative one. I'll cite some sources just give me a sec.

[edit on 11/16/2009 by Uniceft17]

reply to post by Uniceft17


No I'm aware.

My point was in effect to that. Let's not forget that lincoln had to suspend the money standard for the civil war.

Well I dunno, I am sure seeing alot of people that voted for Obama regretting it. Alot of my friends, who are young, voted for him and are now disliking him, and turning conservative.

Just putting my 2cents in.

reply to post by capgirl


Great point CapGirl. Eventually people grow up, get real jobs, have kids, and have to try to feed the family with whatever is left over after the tax man a cometh.

I would say by the age of 30 most people gain enough ability to reason to be able to clearly see that the "Progressive" ideology is a failed one. The "Progressive" ideology just leads to the unaffordable nanny state where your taxes go higher and higher and the money they take from you had labor goes to those who would rather sit home and watch the soaps on the cable tv that your hard -earned tax dollars paid for.

Originally posted by capgirl
Well I dunno, I am sure seeing alot of people that voted for Obama regretting it. Alot of my friends, who are young, voted for him and are now disliking him, and turning conservative.

Just putting my 2cents in.

I didn't vote for Obama, I used to support him though, and I regret it. I'm fiscally conservative, but there is no one in the Republican party that supports my views, and even in there were they would be forced to drop out of the race because they aren't conservative enough.

I guess i'll end up voting for a Blue Dog Democrat, or an independent.

Most people will simply vote for the other party just because the other party isn't doing good, you've seen how far that's go us. I don't support that mentality anymore.

I wasn't talking about conservative in general, I was talking about evangelical conservatism, which is a major turn off I believe for the young generations of Americans and will probably be uprooted in the next 40-50 years.

[edit on 11/16/2009 by Uniceft17]

Originally posted by HotSauce

I would say by the age of 30 most people gain enough ability to reason to be able to clearly see that the "Progressive" ideology is a failed one. The "Progressive" ideology just leads to the unaffordable nanny state where your taxes go higher and higher and the money they take from you had labor goes to those who would rather sit home and watch the soaps on the cable tv that your hard -earned tax dollars paid for.

You obviously didn't read the OT because it has nothing to do with that.

Can we stay on topic please.

I used to be a repub, my parents as well. We are all dems now. The republican party has been hijacked by evangelical extremists (their leader -Palin- even talks in tongues). This is not your Daddy's republican party. Who knows what the future holds.. they are truly lost in the weeds right now.

reply to post by Uniceft17


So what about the Conservative movement do you disagree with??

reply to post by HotSauce


Let me try to help you.

Stop trying to legislate morality. You are free to believe what you wish, but forcing an ideological viewpoint through law is detrimental to a free society. People can govern themselves, that was the the original idea here.

Go back to the constitution, and back to being fiscally conservative.

Originally posted by HotSauce
reply to post by Uniceft17

 

So what about the Conservative movement do you disagree with??

The evangelical part, it's a dying policy.

All that it will do is drive voters away, it doesn't welcome new people into the fold. Even the democrat party welcome people with opposing views, they even welcome fiscal conservatives (blue dogs). The Republicans say if you don't prescribe by our views to a T you are not aloud, all they will do from here is shrink with that mentality if they keep it up.

[edit on 11/16/2009 by Uniceft17]

Originally posted by Seiko
reply to post by HotSauce

 

Let me try to help you.

Stop trying to legislate morality. You are free to believe what you wish, but forcing an ideological viewpoint through law is detrimental to a free society. People can govern themselves, that was the the original idea here.

Go back to the constitution, and back to being fiscally conservative.

Here, here.

reply to post by Seiko


I totaally agree with that and no more redistribution of wealth.

reply to post by reasonable


I understand. Some republicans can be pretty...well far out there. But not all of them. My family is republican, yet they disagree with some of the republicans that represent.

As for me I am republican and yet I have beliefs that makes my father mad.

reply to post by capgirl


That makes total sense. Nobody is ever going to believe everything a particular party believes. You just have to say on the really big issues who has the better ideas.

Originally posted by HotSauce
Nobody is ever going to believe everything a particular party believes.

Exactly that's why we have varying degrees of views in each party (well not anymore). Like moderates, blue dogs, liberal, etc.

But there's no more room for that in the Republican party, you have to prescribe to an exact ideology and policy to be a member. It's elitist.

You just have to say on the really big issues who has the better ideas.

Who get's decide what that is?

I also call that elitist, Alot of people have different ideas in mind.

[edit on 11/16/2009 by Uniceft17]

reply to post by Uniceft17


No I am saying that each indivdual has to decide for themselves what party best serves the long term strength of the nation. That is all that matters at this point, because without a nation the other stuff doesn't really matter now does it?

Look most Republican politicians just say they support certain things that they think evangelicals want to hear. It doesn't mean they are going to act on it. Things like gay marriage, abortion, etc are issues to be decide in the Supreme Courts. Since you can't predict when one of those old coots are going to give up the ghost you have to just let it go and cross your fingers because the configuration ofthe Supreme Court is a crap shoot at best.

Originally posted by reasonable
I used to be a repub, my parents as well. We are all dems now. The republican party has been hijacked by evangelical extremists (their leader -Palin- even talks in tongues). This is not your Daddy's republican party. Who knows what the future holds.. they are truly lost in the weeds right now.

I don't believe that it is accurate to call Sarah Palin the leader of the Republican party. This is no more accurate than calling Rush Limbaugh the leader of the Republican party, which was repeated on this board willy-nilly just a few months ago.

Palin was a member of the Assembly of God church beginning in her teen years and was shown in a video tape being blessed by a pastor in 2005. During this tape Palin did not utter a word.

Palin's former pastor, Tim McGraw, says that like many Pentecostal churches, some members speak in tongues, although he says he's never seen Palin do so.

www.cnn.com...

I personally don't have any experience with the Pentecostal denominations, but I have known members and not all members speak in tongues.

The religious phenomenon of speaking in unknown tongues is something that I personally don't believe in. I don't think that it's based on an accurate interpretation of the scriptures, yet I don't believe that those who believe such things are dangerous or that they should be ridiculed.

Almost all religious beliefs are "crazy" sounding to those who don't hold such beliefs. In fact, even the non-religious believe things that are "crazy" from one perspective or another.

Fundamentally, Palin is a Christian, a distinction that she shares with the majority of this nation.

reply to post by Uniceft17

Recent polling data would suggest that you are incorrect. More American's consider themselves conservative than liberal by over 15%. The Republican party is just fine. It is the democrat party that is in free fall. It is the democratic party that is full of extremists. Folks need to get off the religous right soapbox. The influence of the religous right has been in steady decline for the past 20 years. The influence of the hard, statist left in the democrat party has been increasing steadily for the last 20 years and is climbing rapidly over the past 5.

In 2012 Obama will get a challenge for the democratic nomination from the right of the party. That will fracture the party and it will take them decades to pull it back together. I would not at all be surprised if he did not get the nomination. A moderate, serious democrat could easily bring the party back together. A left-wing canidate will further push the party into irrelevance.

Right now is the last push by the leftists. They will not give up easily and it will be ugly. Fun to watch, but ugly