The creepy people who have been occupying the Republican Party for the last decade-and-change have just gotten their collective asses handed to them.
Even if you preferred them to the liberal Democrats, they didn’t really represent your issues and concerns, did they?
I think there’s an off-balance political party up for grabs, and perhaps here and there a candidate with perspectives and positions that you’d rather see at the forefront of American politics.
Go get 'em. Best of luck.
Shouldn’t Patriot X or somesuch name, put in an appearance around now. To P X, if you are out there, Nice predicting!
Are you talking about the GOP or the Dems? Because the new Democratic party is one more markedly conservative and moderate than the one we had just a week ago.
This is a good thing; the Dems had been going way off to their extremes as of late as was exemplified in the horrendous nomination of John Kerry. A moderate Democratic party means that voters like myself, genuine conservatives who aren’t straight ticket voters can feel like we actually have a real decision to make at the ballot box.
I certainly wasn’t thrilled with George Bush in 2004, but there was just no way I could stomach voting for Kerry. Likewise here in Virginia I had to do some considerable thinking before I decided not to vote for Webb. In all honesty I would have voted for him if the Senate wasn’t so close and I didn’t fear my vote would contribute to losing the Senate.
I’m hesitantly optimistic to see what the new Democratic party is like. It’s been awhile since there has been a Democratic party I could stomach. The SDMB style liberals and leftists are precisely the type of Democrat that most conservatives and moderates simply can’t stand, but now that the Dems are back in power and with strong moderate and conservative support the leftist wing’s control of the Democratic party has come to an end. I think the high water mark for that particularly insidious form of Democrat came in the nomination of Lamont.
Obviously the hope is, these new moderate and conservative Democrats will be able to work in a more civil manner with Republicans (at least those who aren’t on the extreme right) which in turn could lead to a moderating trend in the Republican party that has been sorely needed for awhile. Conservative or liberal, I think most rational people can agree Republicans like Rick Santorum are bad for almost everyone, and the less Rick Santorum types the better.
Were that I were a Republican. Anyway, I think the Democrats need to be in charge for a while, and if that comes at the expense of my principles so be it. This country and its people need a break from the Republicans.
Hear, hear. How perfectly, accurately true.
This may actually be a good thing in the long run, if a Democratic congress (and maybe Senate) becomes the new scapegoat for all the country’s problems, as the Republican congress has been.
One thing is true. Their far less likely to be the cause of the country’s problems, as the Republicans have been.
I agree that moderates will control the Senate and the House. Not so much conservatives. With so many moderate Dems coming into office, no bill will get passed unless it’s acceptable to them, and if it’s acceptable to them, it’ll be acceptable to many moderate Pubs.
I’m curious to see how all this moderation works in actual policy, however. I do think the 100 day agenda of the Dem House will appeal to a lot of moderates: raise the pathetically low minimum wage, get some health coverage for the uninsured, get a little fiscal responsibility going on, offer an alternative plan for Iraq. Also, I think the Dems will back off gun control.
The real issue is going to be abortion. We elected some pro-life Dems. If the Dems move into the pro-life camp, could be some very restrictive legislation down the road. I don’t think the progressive Dems will roll over for the pro-life Dems or anyone else on abortion, so could be some sharp battles fought.
I’m thinking their best strategy is to be social liberals (in the permissive sense, not the didactic ‘PC’ sense) while being economic conservatives (in the balanced-budget, thrifty sense). Didn’t Pelosi pledge to “pay as you go” in some earlier statement about what life with Speaker Pelosi would be like?
As long as the Republicans kind of forgot about fiscal responsibility and went on a spending spree, the Democrats should pick that mantle up and wear it.
I think this is a good thing for the country. To alter what Airman Doors said, the republicans need a break from power. This slap will hopefully cause them to wake up and get back to conservatism.
The democrats will not be able to simply complain and point out fault, and will have to offer concrete solutions. The move to the middle will hopefully cause the majority to slap down Conyers and other extremists.
I really think that, as unpalatable as some of this might be in the coming year to conservatives like myself, it is a good thing for both parties and the country.
Congratulations to all who were hoping for or worked towrd this.
Woo hoo!
I needed a silver lining today- thanks!
Thirded. Any other year, honestly, I may well have voted for Jim Talent. I voted for McCaskill instead because the Republican party badly needs to get shaken up and maybe even regain some semblance of sane conservatism.
:rolleyes: Yeah, hopefully they’ll slap him right down back into the Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, as anticipated.
…return to its roots, and actually become the “Libertarian” Party:
-immediately end the “war on Drugs” (legalize most opiates, narcotics, marijuana)
-re-negotiate international trade deals 9on the basis of what’s best for Americans0
-end military alliances, except as affects the Western hemisphere
-remove US garrisons from S. Korea, japan, Germany
-launch an intensive energy independence program-1% billion prize to the inventor/scientist who can develop 50% efficient solar cells!
The election was bad for the GOP, but there are a few things that should cheer up the conservative/libertarian members of the party (like myself):
Fewer moderate Republicans in power. The defeats of Chaffee, Johnson, Dewine, and a few others is good for the party. These members often frustrated the conservative agenda and it’s best in the long-run to have them gone.
No more Rick Santorum. Sure, he was pretty conservative, but he just made the GOP look stupid.
Democrats showed the only way they can win (or be competitive) in many states is to run as conservatives.
This election, in the end, shows that high spending and starting foreign wars is not the road to electoral success. That warms my little libertarian heart.
The results mean that gridlock will return to the capital. That’s good for those of us who don’t really want goverment to do anything. With Bush and the Democratic Congress bickering, we will have few bills passed. Given the stinkers that have been passed in the past six years, that’s a very good thing.
As I always ask Republican supporters who express support for gridlock and divided government: well, if that’s the way you feel about it, why the hell weren’t you voting Democratic, for at least one of the electoral branches of government, in 2002 and 2004? If you want gridlock, why didn’t you vote for gridlock? Why did it take you so long to stop supporting one-party government?
Because “scratch a libertarian, find a conservative” is true most of the time.
Do I take it that you are hopng that middle will give way to the more extreme elements?
Well, when I didn’t live in DC (and thus had no Representative or Senator) my votes for Congress were usually for the Libertarian candidates, so I guess you could say I was voting for gridlock. 
I know what you mean, though. I’ll admit I had high hopes for the GOP to be a truly conservative party, if only they had enough members in their caucus to actually stop compromising with Dems. So I supported electing more Republicans in the hope this would materialize. Would this scenario have played out if the GOP had 60 seats in the Senate and a solid majority in the House, along with Bush as President? Maybe, although it seems unlikely in retrospect. So let’s try some gridlock and see if that accomplishes the goal of slowing the growth of government.
I for one, welcome our new Democratic leaders.
I hope, I truly hope the Fiscal Conservatives and the Moderate Republicans now band together to kick the Religious right out of the Party leadership role. We need to get back to core issues of Fiscal responsibility. Bush has done a worse job in this area than any Dem in my lifetime. The Republicans need to embrace smart management of the environment and energy and leave the social issues for the Jerry Falwell’s of the country.
Jim