"What Now" For The Republican Party?

They must figure out a way to run against him.

Whatever candidates the Republicans field in 2008, I believe the electorate will treat it as a third election for Mr Bush. I think there is a lot of anger out there, and not just on the Left, towards him. However many times the Republican Men-Who sing the praises of Reagan, Bush will be the 500 lb. elephant in the room -- arm in a sling, snout bandaged, trying to keep his chin up.

But it won't be easy. Since the days of Reagan the 11th commandment for Republican politicians was, "Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican." And by, "speak ill," they mean, "offer crititicism." They have derived a great deal of their political success by sheer party-line discipline, to the point where discipline itself was a sort of platform. All they have had to do was point to the fractiousness and the constant internicene squabbling of the Democratic party and ask, "How do you expect them to lead the country if they can't plan a bake sale?"

But what happens, when the "party line" and those who set it, are wrong? And by wrong I mean "at 28%." Follow-the-leader only works when the leader knows (or appears to know) where he's going. When the leader seems to be just flying forward, or perhaps flopping forward, to 2009... these are slippery coattails indeed.

I think the most successful candidate will be the one who first figures out how to portray himself as running, in some sense, against Bush, as well as against the Democrats. A "centrist" if you will. But, as I have my own partisan inclinations, I am admittedly entering concern-troll territory here.

Kill

The "Permanent Republican Majority" has gone the way of the "1,000 Year Reich"

The Prince of Darkness pans Fred Thompson :

Let Down by Fred Thompson

By Robert D. Novak
Monday, May 7, 2007; Page A19

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — "Will he announce?" asked the Lincoln Club of Orange County's publication in preparation for Fred Thompson's appearance at the organization's 45th annual dinner here Friday night. A rumor, totally unfounded, ran rampant before his speech that Thompson would declare his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination at the dinner lectern. In fact, he did not even hint at this prospect during a performance that was a letdown for the packed audience of conservative Republicans.

"It was not Reaganesque." "No red meat." "Too low key." That was the preponderant reaction I heard to Thompson's half-hour presentation (leavened by a few favorable comments, mostly by women, that he was more "statesmanlike" and "presidential" than the announced candidates). Lincoln Club members, like many conservative Republicans, have been unimpressed by the existing field of Republican hopefuls and envisioned Thompson as the second coming of Ronald Reagan. They did not get it Friday night.

Oh how the mighty have fallen. I remember back in 1999, the Republicans thought George W. Bush was the answer to everything that was wrong with America. I always wondered if GWB was the best the GOP had? Sure seems so.

One thing that Americans really need to be careful about who we elect next. I think that our government and way of life are teetering on the edge of a police state, because of the actions that the Bush administration has taken in the name of fighting terrorism (no sarcasm intended). If we elect someone who is just as bad or worse than Bush, that person could make GWB look like an angel.

That's what concerned me about the "anyone but Bush" mentality during the last elections. The devil you know is better than the devil you don't.

"What Now" For The Republican Party?

Rally around the flag? Patriotism is the final refuge of scoundrels.

RIP GOP- buh bye!

The GOP can do the right thing and nominate Ron Paul who will show that the Democrats don't care for civil rights anymore than the GOP does. They just like anti-Bush talking points.

Ron Paul is the only candidate that can actually reinvent the GOP and stand up to the Democrats on principal rather than partisanship.

The dems also have to answer the WHAT NOW question.....the likely candidate Hillary is really good a playing political stunts like she did with her sunset-ing the war resolution...what the??? The WHAT NOW question on Iraq is huge.....and the dems only answer is GET OUT on some artificial timeline.....with no mention whatever of THEN WHAT? Also, because there is no GOP incumbent for 08 our eventual candidate will also be able to benefit from a "fresh start" appeal....

The conservative and moderate wings of the Republican party have been heading for a showdown for quite some time now. Bush's willingness to alienate fiscal conservatives, moderate republicans, and anyone else who doesn't agree with every little thing he wants to do has only exacerbated the problem.

On the one hand, you have a loose coalition of fundamentalist Bible-toters, general social conservatives, federalist-types and people who generally believe that Government should be Ward Cleaver with a pimp hand, maintaining some mythical '50s Americana and putting the smack down on anyone who would dare to step out of line.

On the other, you have your fiscal conservatives, libertarians, less-intrusive government-types and general moderates.

It's a miracle the two groups have managed to co-exist this long, and in quite a few spots — including my backyard of Kansas — the fissures have grown pretty deep.

Ron Paul is the only candidate that can actually reinvent the GOP

Just what America will flock to ..... another Texan.

Just curious what is the Congressional approval rating?

I'm with you here Kill. What the hell are they going to do? I have a couple of ideas that they clearly won't use, but I'll kick them out in an article.

I'm also in agreement with you analysis that the government doesn't work too well when one party controls all the avenues of the government. We are going to get pretty sick of hearing how the congress can't get anything by what will become the veto machine in Bush's final days. The thing to consider then is when a Democrat gets elected we'll get exactly the same thing but the other way. At what point do we figure out that each party will spend it's first hundred days trying to undo what the other spent 4-8 years getting done.

Thanks

Forest

I don't think the Democrats can muster much more than a 28% approval rating at this time. I think both the Republican and Democrat Party need a renewal. I think the 28% in either case is just the hard shell politicos and/or Luddites of both wings who need to be put out to pasture. Until that happens we are in for more of the same.

Well, I see a few options for the Republican Party:

First, it seems to me that if Rove wanted to take control of the Republican political machine again, Cheney could resign for "health reasons" and the White House could then try hand-picking the Republican candidate/successor.

This would change the dynamic of the race. But the "new guy" would have quite a challenge on his hands.

Second,

there could be a major terroristic "incident" that changes people's perceptions of the top priorities and qualifications they are looking for in a candidate.

The Republicans have done rather well running on fear.

Third,

They will continue playing games with the electronic voting machines.

Network Hosting Attorney Scandal E-Mails Also Hosted Ohio's 2004 Election Results

"If You Want To Win An Election, Just Control The Voting Machines"

Hacking the Presidency

and wikipedia: 2004 United States presidential election controversy, voting machines

Based upon their recent history it seems like they have the ability to pull another surprise upset.

Kill ... "What Now ...."
More foaming at the mouth.

There are something like 21 to 24 republican senators up in 08'.

Less than 10 democratic senators.

Now that Bush has announced that he will veto any Democratic sponsored 60 day funding bills, the GOP is in an even worse position. Bush finally is being cast (correctly) as the one who is denying funding to the troops in Iraq and it is going to be decision time for a lot of Republicans. Their dilemma; Do I want even a shot at being reelected or do I go down with the ship?

That's spot on....hell they've already announced that they are going to stop backing Bush by September so they have time to pull their asses out of the fire and have at least a fighting chance of being elected.

Forest

Yup, and that pretty well confirms the fact that the Americans killed between now and then are simply cannon fodder to be sacrificed to buy time before they have to make a decision that is pretty much a foregone conclusion. Tragic. Glad that is not on my conscionse.