END TIMES FOR REPUBLICANS

Republicans are about to go the way of the dinosaur.  Don’t laugh.

Many of them gleefully pointed to the Democrats’ end just a few short years ago.  Arrogance had engulfed the Democratic Party.  It was losing elections and more importantly converts.  What happened?

Voters gave Republicans their chance at the wheel … of course.  Like their colleagues across the aisle, Republicans managed to make a mess of things in short order.  And, then the scandals set in.

What are we to learn?  First of all, people were way too quick to bury the Dems.  Demographics have always favored them.  They have regions of strength nationally, not to mention great sway with the youth of America.  Young people continue to be born.  This is good for the Democrats.

They too will screw things up?  So, what gives?

For many years the Democratic Party has been a collection of minority interest groups.  Blacks have remained loyal to the brand.  Gays have nowhere else to go.  Labor unions and government workers vote their interests.  Hispanics have strayed somewhat, but for now are back with the Dems.  Add suburban whites and the actually voting young and Democrats win, easily.

Republicans on the other hand preside over the 7-10 split of parties.  Meet the Christian Right.  It’s not a fan of the circus and wants nothing to do with the big tent concept.  Try as they might, the Republican puppet masters have little chance of marrying the Christian Right to the party’s growing libertarian faction.  One could argue they’d have a better chance of marrying gays.

Remember, I’m writing about politics and where we’re going, not about my opinions on these issues.  They’re irrelevant anyway.

Gay marriage is coming.  Let the nation’s Civil Rights movement be your guide.  Those seeking to block the advancement of blacks had their victories in the 50s.  How’d that turn out for them?

Sarah Palin represents the half of the Republican Party that is locked in the past.  She has virtually no appeal to the nation’s young.  She’s anti-evolution and believes God is telling her what to do.

The Christian Right will insist on blocking gay marriage at every turn, while trumpeting its recent ballot box victories.  The party’s growing libertarian faction, demonstrated by Ron Paul’s incredible fundraising, couldn’t care less about these things.  These “young” people subscribe to individual responsibility and the “to each his own” mantra.  The two sides don’t go together.  They can’t coexist.

Sure, the Republicans face demographic problems, but it is this internal split which will prove fatal.

Particularly as it becomes obvious that the Republican Party as it’s currently constituted won’t be able to defeat a not-as-popular President Obama in 2012.  Failure will sew the seeds of distrust.  The Christian Right will blame the libertarian wing and vice versa.  The Christian Right will be exiled to a minority party status, not unlike Canada’s Bloc Quebecois.  It’s future goal will be perfecting the art of deal making in Congress.

A new party is destined to be born.  Being anchored by someone of celebrity status could certainly hasten its formation.  Jesse Ventura is the first name that comes to mind.  Sparks have already flown between him and the faithful.

Currently spotlighted is the Christian Right’s propensity to tell everyone what to do.  We’re only a couple of decades removed from the days of the Blue Laws, which didn’t allow for a lot of work on Sunday.

Forgotten is that Democrats also love to dictate what you can and can’t do.  And, the new one-party Washington will give them the chance.  Look for smoking and drinking bans, tougher seat belt laws, more helmet requirements, federal funding for red-light and speed cameras, and all sorts of big brother stuff.

For a new party to win, it will have to challenge this premise … that government knows best.  A guy like Jesse Ventura could begin stealing the young if he were to come out for the legalization of pot smoking, hookers, online poker, and the whole lot.  He could point to the hypocrisy of the Eliot Spitzers of the world, all the states that run lotteries.  The list of examples is never-ending.  He’d gain traction with the young in a New York minute.

Barack Obama is popular now.  It defies logic though to believe that any president will remain so in today’s media environment, particularly with the impossible plate of problems that awaits this one, or as John McCain might say “that one.”  It’s like facing an eight-run deficit in the bottom of the ninth … a couple of hits won’t do.

Plenty will have turned on President Obama by 2012.  They’d started running from President Bush by 2004 and President Clinton’s magic was gone by 1996.  I probably don’t have to remind you how the second terms for the first President Bush and President Carter went.

Republicans can’t win the White House again without finding a way to divorce young people from the Democrats.  And, at that point they’ll cease being your father’s Republicans.  The party of Reagan is dead.  President Bush killed it.  His war-mongering, big-spending ways did it in.  Now, it’s time to find new answers and more importantly new voices.

Good news Republicans.  John Boehner is staying on as your House leadership.  That should do the trick.

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Tags: Barack Obama, Christian Right, Democrats, gay marriage, hookers, Jesse Ventura, John McCain, marijuana, online gambling, politics, Republicans, smoking ban