If Republicans lose the 2012 Presidential election, which direction will the GOP go?

[The T]

Hopefully away.

Just go away.

YOU are welcome to leave anytime...but you seem to be happy with self abuse.

Seek help.

 

[Full-Auto]

The GOP will just break the record Mitch McConnell already holds for filabusters.

Sweet

That is how our system was designed. Gridlock when not in agreement.

Precisely. System was designed to amend the Constitution...not circumvent it.

But then they can not spend our money.

The real issue.

 

[Salt Jones]

The GOP hasn't moved to the right. Both presidents Bush were moderates. John McCain is a moderate. It only seems that way because the democrat party has moved so far left that it is off the charts. Who would have thought that a democrat president would have hired a communist former leader of an arson and looting rampage to any job? Who would have thought that someone who worked in a cabinet post would have told kids that her personal hero was Chairman Mao? Who would have thought that the president would have referred to the US Chamber of commerce as a sinister tool of the republican party or that he would praise the anti-capitalist OWS rabble? The only reason the Tea Party was formed was to push the republican party out of moderateville and that doesn't seem to be working all that well.

Keep thinking that way, oblivion is only a few years away.

No, Democrat oblivion is right around the corner.. driven by this obsession with gay Marriage, abortion, birth control, telling people what to feed their children, what to think, what to say, what to eat, $16,000,000,000,000 debt, massive deficits, worthless USD, 40,000,000+ unemployed, 1/6 of Americans on public assistance, crumbling middle east, inflation, $4+ gasoline, no energy policy, no drilling, no jobs, etc.

Yeah, run on that record bitch!

Bye dinosaur.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

The only problem I have with your statement is that Bush and McCain weren't moderates and they sure as hell weren't conservative.

If, and I am expecting they will, the GOP loses in November. They will move even farther left trying their damnedest to catch up with the Party of the Jackass.

Immie

I disagree, I think they will indeed win, barring a MAJOR comeback in th economy.. which most predictions say simply is not going to happen. Couple that with a economy on the skids driven by massive inflation driven by $5+ gas by November..

But hey, for the sake of argument, let;s say they lose.. I think you will see an even bigger push to the right by the Tea party... which the GOP will be inclined to heed.

Well, just call me an eternal pessimist.

I will not vote for any republican because I believe the party is corrupt and I think that the only way to tell them that is for as many of us who will to vote third party, but better a Republican win than the corrupt man who sits in the Oval Office today.

I would hope that if enough of us continued to vote third party both parties would begin to get the message.

Immie

I hear ya, loud 'n clear.. unfortunately, a vote for a third party candidate is a vote for Obama.

 

[regent]

In either case win or lose it may be the Republican swan song. The conservative Federalist party died in 1800, the Conservative Whig party died in 1850 and now it may be the end of the present conservative Republican party.
If Republicans win and they begin practicing what the present conservative ticket are preaching that will do them in. If they lose the leaders will probably say they weren't conservative enough and will preach an even more conservative policy. In any case I don't think they will more toward the center anymore those days may be over. They certainly seem to be getting more werid every day.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

Keep thinking that way, oblivion is only a few years away.

No, Democrat oblivion is right around the corner.. driven by this obsession with gay Marriage, abortion, birth control, telling people what to feed their children, what to think, what to say, what to eat, $16,000,000,000,000 debt, massive deficits, worthless USD, 40,000,000+ unemployed, 1/6 of Americans on public assistance, crumbling middle east, inflation, $4+ gasoline, no energy policy, no drilling, no jobs, etc.

Yeah, run on that record bitch!

Bye dinosaur.

So, your contention is that all the aforementioned is the way of the future? You're either really stupid or just in a grand state of denial.

 

[Immanuel]

I disagree, I think they will indeed win, barring a MAJOR comeback in th economy.. which most predictions say simply is not going to happen. Couple that with a economy on the skids driven by massive inflation driven by $5+ gas by November..

But hey, for the sake of argument, let;s say they lose.. I think you will see an even bigger push to the right by the Tea party... which the GOP will be inclined to heed.

Well, just call me an eternal pessimist.

I will not vote for any republican because I believe the party is corrupt and I think that the only way to tell them that is for as many of us who will to vote third party, but better a Republican win than the corrupt man who sits in the Oval Office today.

I would hope that if enough of us continued to vote third party both parties would begin to get the message.

Immie

I hear ya, loud 'n clear.. unfortunately, a vote for a third party candidate is a vote for Obama.

Yeah, maybe so, and I suppose that if there were a big enough difference between the two, I could be convinced to change my mind. There isn't and I won't.

Immie

 

[rdean]

Hopefully away.

Just go away.

No one is forcing you to stay around us.

Republicans think they own America. Everywhere they are in charge the country falls apart.

 

[thereisnospoon]

As many people have noted, the GOP has been consistently moving further and further to the right over the last 30 years. The election of President Obama continued that trend as the 2010 midterms made clear.

During the current 2012 GOP primary season, candidates like Bachmann and Santorum routinely engaged in some pretty strident rhetoric while also bringing up the social issues continuously despite the fact that virtually everyone thought that economic issues would far and away be the focus of the election.

And finally, the primary has come down to Romney and changing conservative 'not Romney' candidates.

So, regardless of who ends up winning the GOP nomination, if the Republicans lose the general election to President Obama, which direction will the GOP ultimately go? Will they move closer to the center because they lost to President Obama? Or will they move further to the right?

If were an oddsmaker my betting line on an Obama win would be -110...Translated.....One would have to wager $110 to WIN $100.
The important race is obviously the White House. Second in line would be expanding the lead in the House and gaining the majority of the Senate.
If none of these things occur it is because the old line GOP establishment once again has run AWAY from it's conservative roots and went with this stupid "big tent" nonsense.
My thinking is if the latter occurs it is high time we got rid of the RINO's , the old line establishment. THEY are the problem.
In anything the GOP has shifted LEFT. Mainstream conservatives are moving away from social/religious conservatives and trying to establish a new base for the party. The leadership is taking the party too far left.
Politics as usual translates to entrenched incumbency.
People who think of voting are turned off by the usual mud slinging campaigns which stress personal attacks rather than the issues. Those voters become frustrated and stay home. Those left to vote are committed to the person already holding the office and we have career slugs in Washington who do nothing but lunch on OUR tax dollars.

 

[whitehall]

If republicans lose the election it's not because they are becoming too conservative. The Tea Party will become stronger and more influential in republican politics. What worries me more is what might happen if democrats lose the election. It's not too far fetched to consider that Obama's loss could ignite riots. Van Jones already has the network set up with OWS and all they need is a push from radical democrats and whining from the radical liberal media.

 

[thereisnospoon]

Further to the Constitution because, of course, Obama will be taking us further from it.

I've got some news for you. The men who wrote the US Constitution and ratified it weren't the conservatives of their day.

Ya know what? You started a very well thought out thread. Someone made a comment you didn't like and you ruined it.
Can you once forget the horseshit and discuss the issue you began?

 

[Cuyo]

Further to the Constitution because, of course, Obama will be taking us further from it.

You're such a tard. You guys really need some new material.

 

[thereisnospoon]

The GOP hasn't moved to the right. Both presidents Bush were moderates. John McCain is a moderate. It only seems that way because the democrat party has moved so far left that it is off the charts. Who would have thought that a democrat president would have hired a communist former leader of an arson and looting rampage to any job? Who would have thought that someone who worked in a cabinet post would have told kids that her personal hero was Chairman Mao? Who would have thought that the president would have referred to the US Chamber of commerce as a sinister tool of the republican party or that he would praise the anti-capitalist OWS rabble? The only reason the Tea Party was formed was to push the republican party out of moderateville and that doesn't seem to be working all that well.

Reaching 'across the aisle' to only have it shoved back in your face by those that you were trying to 'moderate' with gets you NO WHERE.

Attack and destroy...expose them for what they are.

After all? Statists speak of fairness...

We saw where reaching across the aisle got the GOP in 2006.
When will the GOP leadership learn that democrats view political power as a birthright.
They will do anything necessary to retain political power.
When a democrat is defeated in an election, their public reaction for the cameras is always congratulatory but on a level of patronizing. Privately the democrat asks "how come I didn't win? "

 

[Avatar4321]

Hopefully away.

Just go away.

No one is forcing you to stay around us.

Republicans think they own America. Everywhere they are in charge the country falls apart.

Odd. It seems to me that it's the big cities, particularly the inner cities, where Democrats have had unchallenged control for decades that are falling apart.

 

[Cuyo]

The GOP hasn't moved to the right. Both presidents Bush were moderates. John McCain is a moderate. It only seems that way because the democrat party has moved so far left that it is off the charts. Who would have thought that a democrat president would have hired a communist former leader of an arson and looting rampage to any job? Who would have thought that someone who worked in a cabinet post would have told kids that her personal hero was Chairman Mao? Who would have thought that the president would have referred to the US Chamber of commerce as a sinister tool of the republican party or that he would praise the anti-capitalist OWS rabble? The only reason the Tea Party was formed was to push the republican party out of moderateville and that doesn't seem to be working all that well.

Keep thinking that way, oblivion is only a few years away.

No, Democrat oblivion is right around the corner.. driven by this obsession with gay Marriage, abortion, birth control,

How does Republican obsession with these things make a statement on Democrast?

telling people what to feed their children, what to think, what to say, what to eat,

Pure conjecture...

$16,000,000,000,000 debt, massive deficits, worthless USD, 40,000,000+ unemployed, 1/6 of Americans on public assistance,

ALL a direct result of GOP tax cuts, GOP wars, GOP Recession.

crumbling middle east,

Business as usual, by no stretch worse than it was in 08

inflation,

Nonexistent

$4+ gasoline, no energy policy, no drilling, no jobs, etc.

More conjecture...

Yeah, run on that record bitch!

Do you ever tire of looking so stupid?

 

[Avatar4321]

Further to the Constitution because, of course, Obama will be taking us further from it.

You're such a tard. You guys really need some new material.

So what exactly do you have against the Constitution? And what's your alternative to providing liberty to the Republic?

 

[Cuyo]

Further to the Constitution because, of course, Obama will be taking us further from it.

You're such a tard. You guys really need some new material.

So what exactly do you have against the Constitution? And what's your alternative to providing liberty to the Republic?

Just because you use the word "Constitution" in your post doesn't make it profound.

In fact, as nondescript as it tends to be, you sound ridiculous.

But hey, "The T" thinks you're tops! Maybe you should vote for him!

 

[thereisnospoon]

the Republicans have moved further right?

the Democrat party has moved so far left they should rename themselves the Socialist-Communist party of the United States.

It's unfortunate to see the Democrat party of old die.

The Republican Elites were moving into thier old spot (as nature abhors a vacuum), until the TEA Party folks came along and foiled thier plans at the behest of the American people...

Speaking of the tea party. Democrats have attacked them via the IRS.

Media Matters has done much of the democrats dirty work as well.
That entity admits to hiring of private investigators to dig up on dirt on strong GOP candidates as well as GOP political contributors.

 

[Avatar4321]

You're such a tard. You guys really need some new material.

So what exactly do you have against the Constitution? And what's your alternative to providing liberty to the Republic?

Just because you use the word "Constitution" in your post doesn't make it profound.

In fact, as nondescript as it tends to be, you sound ridiculous.

But hey, "The T" thinks you're tops! Maybe you should vote for him!

I wasn't using it in my post to make the post profound. I was using it to ask you a question.

A question you didn't really bother to answer. But if you prefer mocking me, that's fine. I don't have a problem with it. Not really sure I see the value in it, but if it makes you happy I am at your disposal to mock all day long.

 

[JoeB131]

As many people have noted, the GOP has been consistently moving further and further to the right over the last 30 years. The election of President Obama continued that trend as the 2010 midterms made clear.

During the current 2012 GOP primary season, candidates like Bachmann and Santorum routinely engaged in some pretty strident rhetoric while also bringing up the social issues continuously despite the fact that virtually everyone thought that economic issues would far and away be the focus of the election.

And finally, the primary has come down to Romney and changing conservative 'not Romney' candidates.

So, regardless of who ends up winning the GOP nomination, if the Republicans lose the general election to President Obama, which direction will the GOP ultimately go? Will they move closer to the center because they lost to President Obama? Or will they move further to the right?

Your premise is faulty.

Besides the fact that "moving the right" is an objective term, the fact is, the GOP has done nothing of the sort. It's softening its positions on social issues and kind of conceding the point on some economic ones.

The GOP has an identity crisis in that there are two factions to the party. The working class folks who care about social issues and the business class that care about economic issues. The latter group is in the minority, but will foist Romney on the majority because there really was no clear alternative.

My guess is Obama will be re-elected, will immediately overreach, be slapped back down by a conservative congress, and then the GOP will be in a pretty good position in 2014 and 2016.