Republicans Republicans chances of winning Senate majority continue to brighten

You might have a point if I attacked him for it. I said he runs on a platform of family values and his daughter got knocked up and pointed out how ludicrous it is that anyone takes him as a serious Senate candidate. That's like running for sheriff and promising a reduction in crime, then your child goes out and kills someone.

Personally, I think anyone who runs on "family values" should never be taken seriously anyway because that's not a political platform. That's a cheap sentiment used to take advantage of emotionally weak and politically ignorant citizens like pretending you are a Christian by going to church. It's what empty shirts use for the political process because they don't have anything of substance to offer.

 

Republican..... Win......Brighten.... Shouldn't ever be in the same sentence

 

What the GOP needs is someone that comes out the right side of social issues. One that says. Abortion, none of our business, smoking weed, none of our business, gay marriage, none of our business. People should be allowed the freedom to do what they want as long as they don't infringe upon the RIGHTS of others, infringing upon the beliefs of others is not our problem, go sulk in a corner.

Our problem is the tax code, how do we keep businesses in America so they can afford to give great paying jobs and benefits to their employees? Tax havens will be crushed, leaving America to avoid taxes will come with a penalty that states your goods sold will have an extremely high sales tax added when sold in America.


The GOP is on the wrong side of everything except gun rights as i see it.

 

Then they'd be Democrats, not that it would be bad. Democrats always win in the end, but they can't stand the thought of being called liberal.

 

I find that there is a huge libertarian strain that runs through my generation on down. Many don't know what to call it but if you listen closely enough what you hear is that they want economic conservatism with a good old dose of social liberalism. Many of you may find this hard to believe, but I consider myself an economic conservative. I supported the bail outs and the Fed's easy money policies because I believed, and still do, that they were a necessary evil to preventing our economy from sinking further into recession, and/or depression, than we could reasonably climb out of. That said, when we are able to return to greater economic stability I will again favor more economically conservative positions. Not that I am going to immediately switch gears and insist that we privatize SS or Medicare, but a balanced budget amendment with a clause that only allows exceptions for congressionally approved times of war would be a nice start. I would favor reforms to portions of social security, like SSI-Disability, which has become the de facto Welfare since Welfare was reformed in the 90's. This is a reform that all reasonable people should be able to agree upon: cut the fat and freeloaders so we can preserve the program for those who genuinely need it.

I say all of this within the context of this thread because as soon as the Republican party can start embracing more libertarian policy positions, the sooner they will start being serious contenders in national elections again. As long as they continue to even remotely hold onto this crazy TP/RR/ anti-science wing and bend to their every whim, the R's will continue to flounder. It has been their own rigidity and unwillingness to embrace more populist positions that has cost them most dearly in the past few elections. Mid-terms have seen them make gains but only because of gerrymandering of districts (completely legal but still the only reason they are fairing so well.) The Tea Party/Religious Right/ anti-science factions of the Republican party are responsible for the craziness that comes out of that side of the aisle. Mainstream and Libertarian Republicans have to be tearing their hair out right now. Immigration Reform is a classic example. Every economist in the civilized world knows that Immigration Reform is a boon to businesses. Just take a look at the positions the Chamber has taken on IR. That said, we also stand to gain 5-6 million new tax payers, new social security and medicare contributors to help pay for the boomers, etc. Reasonable people all acknowledge this. Yet what is stopping it? Idealogical purists who just plain old don't get it and probably never will.

Republicans probably will win the Senate, as I stated earlier in this thread. But will they know what to do with it? Or will it be, as Red suggested, just a two year interval until Clinton wins the white house and retakes the Senate? If it means two years of putting up with bull shit like more Benghazi hearings and law suits and futile attempts to reform abortion laws.....it will be the latter of the aforementioned possibilities. If they can put forward thoughtful, at least somewhat bipartisan legislation, to reform the holes in Obamacare, pass immigration reform, act proactive in the budget process, avoid stupid social issue fights and show the American people that they are trying to address their concerns.....Republicans might have a better chance in 2016 than anyone thinks

 

Pretty good analysis NC & Red. One of the reasons I wasn't as excited about the Rs retaking of congress in 2010 was that they hadn't been in the wilderness long enough. They did not have to go through the process of dealing with their loss and changing to meet the changing environment.

Rs MUST recognize the US isn't (and really hasn't been for a long time) the Happy Days country they wish for. W for all his faults had some good ideas and his Immigration Reform could have been a game changer. He understood we are getting to be the most culturally diverse society since ancient Rome. He and others see that most people no matter the race, religion, orientation have the same desires they do. They want to live the American dream. If one looks at the core beliefs of blacks, Asians, latinos and others new to our shore, you will find they align more with conservatives than liberals.

The tea party and radical right need to learn that the ideals expressed in the constitution by the founding fathers. They need to understand there is room for all in that society and new infusion of people continuously stimulates our country and makes us better. IT IS NOT A ZERO SUM GAME!!! I believe in the power of individuals to make us better and welcome all who are willing to try.