When I re-posed my original question I was hoping that it would garner some thoughtful responses. If it didn't, I was prepared to answer my own question. I could not have done it any better than you did in your post seven messages up on this page.

The three points you made are exactly what the GOP needs to do if they expect any kind of reversal in the flagging support of the party and their candidates. The most important part of your analysis is that the changes need to begin NOW. When you say that if the party waits until the 2012 national convention to establish it's core values and campaign planks, it'll be way too late.

I apologize for my conclusions to those of you who don't believe a word of the reports, statistics and analysis of the declining support of the GOP. All I can suggest--again--is that people gather as much information as they can, from as many different sources as they can, in an attempt to reach reasoned conclusions on what the state of the GOP really is. Most importantly, such thought might lead to some ideas on what needs to be changed in order for the GOP to achieve the 50% + 1 needed to reverse the tide--beginning at the local level.