The destruction of the Republican party for a long ttime to come.

[dollie300]

To me, the Gonzo affair, Tillman case, and the continuous lying about Al-qaeda-Iraq, the events leading up to 9/11, and the treatment of Iraq war vets should be enough to keep Republicans from governmental control for generations. Even if it means getting rid of some pretty good Republicans in Congress. If they don't have the moxi to change parties, then they must go too. Enough already!! We are losing our freedoms, security, and economic advantage and security at the hands of the neocon-corporatists-RW-conservative-Christo-fascists dressed up as Republicans. Did I get enough tags in?

[That Is Quite Enough]

1. It will damage them for a while...

But the Republicans have a well-oiled media machine and a knack for convincing people that their failures are really the Democrats' failures. They'll be back, and most likely sooner rather than later.

[book_worm]

2. Sadly it was said that the GOP was dead after the '64 Johnson landslide and after Watergate

so I don't take it that they are dead now. What worries me is that with everything that is going on these days the top GOP candidates in almost every poll are pretty competitive with all the top Democratic candidates.

[VP505]

18. That's why

we Dem's and progressives can NOT let anyone frame most of the Bu$h Admin failures as simple incompetence, we MUST frame ALL their failures as a failure of IDEOLOGY. We MUST get it across to as many as we can that its conservatism that is the problem, conservatism does NOT work, did NOT work for Bu$hCo and most importantly, WON'T WORK IN THE FUTURE.

[That Is Quite Enough]

19. We also must not allow the Reichwing to turn Bush into a 'rogue'

When the GOP are finally forced to confront the atrocities and horrors of the Bush junta, they'll do their best to paint him and his administration as a group of rogue Repukes who do not represent the party.

If we let them do this, the American people will fall for it hook, line and sinker and the GOP will be able to gain another stranglehold on the government almost immediately.

[mmonk]

3. Nope, not without impeachment proceedings.

[salin]

5. GOP bounced back after Nixon...

the GOP played the "one bad apple" card.

Don't get me wrong - I would love to see them impeached... but I want the GOP - as it is today - destroyed - not able to bounce back after two election cycles.

While it is mind-numbingly frustrating to watch investigation after investigation... hearing after hearing...it is necessary for the public to fully grasp what we see... these folks are out to destroy our system of government and our way of life. Their philosophies are getting discredited - but not fully, yet.

[mmonk]

6. If it doesn't proceed to impeachment,

the public won't know what they need to know (the right controls the message to the public in most circumstances). The public at large doesn't log onto sites like DU. Just the political observant (hope that changes to some extent).

[salin]

13. Congress kept investigating Clinton after he left office

given the vast scope of crimes being uncovered that have been committed by the bushjr administration - I predict investigations stretching into the next decade - and without a GOP pres to hand out pardons. Is there a reason a no longer sitting president can not be arrested and convicted for crimes committed in office?

[Seabiscuit]

11. You identified the problem with these investigations...

It seems our leaders in Congress are out to do nothing more than publilcly "discredit" the GOP's current neo-con philosophies, by televising an endless parade of investigations with prominent Democrats occasionally joined by Republican Specter making indignant speeches about the administration. Our leaders as yet appear to lack the spine to actually *follow through* and hold them legally responsible, because in the end, the only way to really accomplish that is to have only one investigation - Impeachment of Bush, Cheney and Gonzales - which would wrap all current investigations into one big one.

[salin]

14. Imagine (if it is possible - not sure) - trials that stretch into the next

decade - convictions of former office holders (including the top two) and no GOP president to grant pardons. I would really like to know if it is possible to convict a former pres or vice president for crimes committed in office.

As for impeachment - it looks like that may be quickest in the coming for Gonzales.

[Seabiscuit]

16. The answer to your question is: Yes.

Former pres and vps and their aides can all be indicted for their crimes commited in office after they leave office.

It would take a strong Dem administration with an RFK type attorney general and big majorities in both houses of Congress to go after them, though.

Impeachment, OTOH, does not have to be based on crimes as we commonly think of them - it focuses on abuse of power (the real meaning of "high crimes and misdemeanors")

And even after impeachment and removal from office, a former administration official including pres and VP can then be prosecuted for any actual crimes they committed while in office.

[ClassWarrior]

4. That may be true, but we still can't become complacent.

Jefferson said that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. And we've seen how far these Rape-Publican criminals are willing to go to steal the American people's freedoms for their own power and profit.

NGU.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

7. Never has that phrase resonated with me, as it does now.

MKJ

[Old and In the Way]

8. There will always be a place for hypocrites, con-artists, liars, and criminals

....but they really are better as the minority Party who don't have to bother being responsible for making government work.

[Seabiscuit]

9. "some pretty good Republicans in Congress"???

Sounds like an oxymoron to me.

[Hubert Flottz]

15. Right...I can't think of a single good republican in congress...

They have all been in lockstep with Bush, all the way, when it comes right down to the yeas and nays! Bush's little enablers, including Joe Lieberman, are all just as guilty as Bush.

[liberalmuse]

10. And it couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of bigots.

I think it's time the decent Republicans (there are a couple) take back their party from the likes of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rush, Fox News, Coulter, De Lay-the list is just too great-and all the other Anti-American, inhumane fascist scum. As it stands, these whackos make up the ugly face of the Republican Party. They also need to change their party symbol. Elephants are decent, noble creatures. They have a soul. Gollum would be a better representation of what they stand for, except Gollum was somewhat likable.

[Seabiscuit]

12. Orcs would be a more appropriate symbol for the current GOP machine.

[Kansas Wyatt]

17. I really do not see the benefit, unless there is a correction.

For years now, this country has dramatically shifted to the right, because of Republicans and a few enabling Dems. But, when Democrats control things, they never go back and correct the rightward shift. They just level things off temporarily, until Republicans regain power and begin shoving everything further to the right again.

The question for the Democrats is this, when you regain full control of the government, will you correct all of the dramatic shifts to the right that has made citizens of this country subjects of the government or will you put on a token show and suspend any further shift to the right temporarily?

The Democratic Party has an opportunity to correct years of shifting to the right and advance progressive ideals that will benefit and actually free our nation's citizens from the oppression we have been shoved into. Will the Democratic Party represent average working Americans again to advance meaningful progressive ideals for many, instead of focusing on small special interest groups and letting the masses fend for themselves?

[BlooInBloo]

20. 100% irrelevant, since the electorate is mean, bigoted, and stupid - that trumps all.