All of these biblical quotes are sounding a lot like the cover letters of the previous president's daily intellegence briefings.

and the partisan bashing (as usual) has taken the lead...with a little different format...to each his own...I am interested in what can be done next to help this country revert back to a higher value than this day and ages thinking seems to want to allow.
The answer to the thread is yes, the Republicans can get to 51%....remember Obama was not a landslide. One or two percent may win the election it is certainly not a mandate.
And all the diatribe about the losses of the Republicans and the moving from the center...all media rhetoric, hyped by the Dems and believed by the non thinking members of we the people.

BTK

...non thinking or wishful thinking members of we the people.

BTK

Originally Posted by billethkid

And all the diatribe about the losses of the Republicans and the moving from the center...all media rhetoric, hyped by the Dems and believed by the non thinking members of we the people.
BTK

From the latest Gallup Poll
"The decline in Republican Party affiliation among Americans in recent years is well documented, but a Gallup analysis now shows that this movement away from the GOP has occurred among nearly every major demographic subgroup."
http://www.gallup.com/poll/118528/GO...ic-Groups.aspx

Granted it is a resource. However polls are no different than surveys....all are/can be designed to reflect a desired result. Too many controllable variables; where taken, by whom, number of participants, environment where taken, how asked, what was asked, etc., etc.
Most are ever true statistical representations of reality.

It is said if enough of them are done consistently in the same manner in many, MANY locations and repetitions there may (MAY) be a pattern detectable.

Therefore, polls (or surveys) add no value (for me) in evaluating anything of significance.

BTK

Originally Posted by billethkid

Therefore, polls (or surveys) add no value (for me) in evaluating anything of significance.
BTK

Still, the GOP leadership may want to consider the poll as a "wake-up call".
Do you remember the old Willie Nelson tune Dandy Don Meredith used to sing near the end of Monday Night Football?
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsTAUs_h_uY[/ame]

My original questions was...

"How do the Republicans return to a position where they have a reasonable chance at getting 50% of the vote plus 1? How do we return our democracy to a system with a legitimate two-party choice?"

So far our colleagues here say "yes we can" (that was Obama's line, wasn't it?), but with no suggestion of how that might happen. In fact some of us don't even believe that the electorate is moving away from the GOP's values. If we can't believe anything written or broadcast by the media, or any of the polling done by any source (who has a longer or better track record than Gallup?), then how do we reach that conclusion? I hope the answer isn't because Rush, Glenn, Sean or Bill say so. That just might be relying on a fact source that is tilted as far to the right as much of the media is tilted to the left.

Based on what we're seeing from the "leadership" of the GOP and the RNC, if we're all going to have blind expectations that a re-balancing of political power is "just going to happen", true conservatives are likely to be badly disappointed...in my opinion anyway. If Republicans believe that a continuation of the policy of disagreeing with almost any idea or legislation put forth by the other political party without presenting a legitimate and appealing alternative will work, again I think disappointment will result. It might even be worse if the disagreement is communicated in a disagreeable way by disagreeable people.

Politics succeeds based on the use of business principles, whether they be advertising, promotion, financing, planning, communicating or even using techniques such as those authored by Saul Alinsky back in the 1930's for energizing the electorate. Election watchers are pretty unanimous in saying that the use of all those skills were a big part of President Obama's success in winning the election. I've never known business objectives to be achieved without a plan and without good management--and in the case of politics, good candidates. Reliance on blind faith doesn't work.

So, I ask my original question again...

How do the Republicans return to a position where they have a reasonable chance at getting 50% of the vote plus 1?

The answer to the question might have a lot to do with how Republicans actually interact with their friends, neighbors, elected officials and even party leadership in coming months and years.

So yes, your party- what's left of it- has swung so far to the right that it's taking its ideology like a drug addict.

Not all responses require a ten page analysis. If it's horse poop, then it's horse poop pure and simple.

Continually hammering home propaganda that the right is somehow now the radical right is nothing more than liberal talking points designed to drive the republican party farther to the left which is what got them in this mess in the first place.

What the republication party needs it a true swing back to the conservative right, not the center.

Originally Posted by Villages Kahuna

My original questions was...

"How do the Republicans return to a position where they have a reasonable chance at getting 50% of the vote plus 1? How do we return our democracy to a system with a legitimate two-party choice?"

........

The answer to the question might have a lot to do with how Republicans actually interact with their friends, neighbors, elected officials and even party leadership in coming months and years.

First of all, the time to write the party platform is now, not during convention week. The Reps need to fully articulate positions on the twenty or so "planks" today and then be true to their word. But first, everyone needs to totally know what "the word" is.

Second, Waffling on issues and constant counter-punching the current administration on issues du jour is cry-baby politics. If the Reps just work toward fulfilling the platform without hysteria, they show strength, character and leadership.

Third, don't focus on the 2012 or 2016 presidential election. Tip O'Neill (Former US Congressman and Speaker of the House) aptly stated that "all politics are local." The Reps would do wise to recognize the logic in that statement and focus on the 2010 and 2012 House and Senate elections. The party that controls Congress controls the purse strings, which bills get voted on, and the local press. Without a strong local foundation, you can't gain a viable high perch.

This isn't rocket science. It's a rare time when a party's candidate is elected president without that party holding a Congressional majority. The only time I can remember (though there may have been others in the last 60 years) is Pres. Clinton, and Pres. Bush's "Read my lips, no new taxes" caused a voter backlash - you don't renege on tax promises, especially demonstrative ones!

One last thought - when there are viable third-party candidates (as Mr. Perot and Mr. Anderson proved there could be), they can garner a sufficient popular vote total to change the election. Mr. Perot and Mr. Anderson both collected predominately right-of-center intellectual voters which, according to many, the majority should have gone to the Reps. As example of the impact, Pres. Clinton won the presidency with the same popular vote quantum that Mr. Tsongas had and still lost decisively. It can happen again.

So, the Reps either "go local" with substance, or buy a lot of beer to cry in. It will be interesting to see which it will be.

I agree with SteveZ's three points. The Republicans must make changes to their platform and unite behind it. Sooner rather than later. They just do not seem to have a clear message right now but this country needs two strong parties or for me three would be better.

There are three of you I would have voted for in the last election...had you ran!
I read more knowledge in ten minutes on this thread / post than I do all day on the internet. Or have heard from Rush or Sean..

[QUOTE=KayakerNC;204407]Still, the GOP leadership may want to consider the poll as a "wake-up call".

Is not a 30% approval rating for a Democratric lead Congress also a reason for a "wake-up call"?????

While all of the attention is being given to the fall of the republican party, don't forget where it is coming from. It is coming from the same liberal news media that gave us John McCain. They beat up on all of the other candidates until there was only McCain. Then they beat up on him. The liberal news media is not doing the job that their protections under the constitution were meant to protect. Republicans, (I'm not one) have a hard row to hoe. If the people wake up to what the liberal media is up to, I think that the democrats will be out in a snap. If not, it may be a little harder to dislodge them. Dislodged, they will be!


Always the optimist

Yoda

A member of the loyal opposition

Isn't that a bit like killing the messenger? IMHO it isn't the media. They are what they are for good or bad depending on your viewpoint.

The party just needs to regroup and reach out to voters who have defected or just don't relate any more. The proposed town hall-type meetings are a start.

Originally Posted by BobKat1

Isn't that a bit like killing the messenger? IMHO it isn't the media. They are what they are for good or bad depending on your viewpoint.

The party just needs to regroup and reach out to voters who have defected or just don't relate any more. The proposed town hall-type meetings are a start.

I agree. The news media is not there to provide a public service. The news media is commercial with the appropriate profit motive. They package their product for selling to specific audience demographics, as their advertising revenue is dependent on which audience(s) are being targeted. That comment has been made several times on this board regarding the Daily Sun, and it is a correct one. You cant blame the various media outlets for how they package and sell their product in ways they find makes the most money for their stockholders.