I’ve been thinking about the question raised in the OP. There are many of us who would wish to see a Republican Party return to sanity, something like the old “Big Tent”: fiscal responsibility, socially moderate, willing to acknowledge environmental concerns, strong on national security. Basically, minus all the egregious corporate welfare (and the related, stupid trickle-down economic theories) and minus the hard-right, anti-science religious wackos.
Basically, I see several obstacles to this. First, abortion. That issue alone has led to the veneer of moral superiority that the GOP parades about hither and thither, and which is of course dubious at best. But that issue isn’t going to be resolved anytime soon. Gay marriage will be a done deal sometime, but I don’t see abortion going away as an issue.
Second, the money in the hard-right evangelical religious community. It’s A LOT of money. The GOP gets most of it, and that will continue as long as the abortion issue in particular is polarized between the parties. It just doesn’t seem like a situation that’s likely to change.
Third, “Citizens United” will pretty much guarantee for the foreseeable future that both parties remain beholden to powerful monetary interests above all else.
What would need to change for the “sane” GOP I describe above to have a chance is for the far-right religious types to be thoroughly repudiated and diminished, as is the case in many European countries. I think the country will indeed swing to a increasingly secular mindset, but it won’t happen fast if at all. The other thing that would have to change is a constitutional amendment codifying some kind of strong campaign finance reform, such as the McCain-Feingold Act. I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for that.
In a nutshell, if the GOP loses decisively, nothing will change. Romney’s influence will vanish like dust in the wind, since he will be blamed for having been a weak candidate (like Dukakis, to name another MA governor who was basically a loser), and the GOP will continue to push for hard-right candidates, because no one else would survive being vetted in the primaries and caucuses.
The other possibility I think could happen would be if a transformational, inspiring figure become the next presidential GOP nominee, but one who would really sell a more moderate GOP platform. It would have to be someone who could get through the nominated process and defeat the Tea Party types, and yet be someone who would appeal to moderate Democrats and foster in a new version of the “Big Tent.” But, who with this person be? I’m not seeing anyone on the horizon, mainly because the Tea Party and far religious right are not going to lighten their grip on the GOP anytime soon, and there’s no one I can think of who could overcome them who isn’t, well, one of them.
In short, the more things change, the more the stay the same. Hoping for a big shift in the current state of American politics is akin to hoping some friendly space aliens would visit us and give us a bunch of amazing new technologies for free.