Will the Republican Party splinter if Obama wins?

[Soup Bean]

I heard Michael Smerconesh (sp?) substituting for O'Reilly the other day, and he had a religious right caller. He was disagreeing with her that the Republicans should be tied in with the Fundamentalist movement, and she was spouting the usual Dobson line. Smerk said that after the election, there would be "a battle for the soul of the party".

Do you think that the Republicans will be able to keep their sprawling Reagan-era "Rockefeller Republicans" and the "Christian Right", along with Libertarians, etc.? I'm curious as to how they would react should Obama win.

[tekisui]

1. WHEN Obama wins, they will have to regroup or dissolve.

I expect they will shift more towards the center and regroup. However, they far right may see that unacceptable and break off to form a new party, either way, they will be the minority party for at least a few election cycles.

[Fumesucker]

4. I figured the Reps would be out of power for a good long while after Nixon..

We all know how that turned out..

Americans may learn, but they forget so damn fast.. I think it's all the glass teat watching..

[Soup Bean]

5. I hope the breakup happens.

They really aren't natural allies. I'm surprised they've held it together for so long. It seems like America should have 5 or 6 major political parties, like in a parliamentary system. It would force much more compromise, and it would be harder to lead us into unfounded wars; harder to promote bad economic policy, etc.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. It will splinter

and take a long while to regroup, especially if the leaders continue to cater to the wingnuts. Watch and see if the Libertarians crack 1% of the vote--that will be telling, as the Libertarians are encouraging Republicans who are upset with their party to vote their way.

[ingac70]

9. The Libertarian party...

won't even run a real Libertarian for President.

I remember what a dick Bob Barr was while Clinton was Pres.

[liberal N proud]

3. We can hope that is dissolves

[HereSince1628]

6. Nope, a Newt-oid will be back in 2010 with a new contract on America

that will unite them as in '94.

People naturally criticize the party in power, the R's will try to use that as the tide that gets their raft off the rocks.

[FSogol]

12. Yup, Newt will unite all the racist, homophobes, flat earthers, no taxers, and Palin fans n/t

[HereSince1628]

15. Yes. something like that.

For my entire life, ever since the dawn of McCartyism, the use of "FEAR!" has been a very effective tool to manipulate the herd. The R's have recognized that and embraced it. There is no reason to believe that they will abandon what has become the foundation of their party.

[mrJJ]

7. The Upcoming GOP Civil War

Kevin Drum: The Upcoming GOP Civil War

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2008/10/the_upcoming_gop_civil_war.html

[KharmaTrain]

8. It's Already Splintered

That is a major reason for a possible Obama victory as well as for the gain in many repugnican districts.

The repugnican party has been going through a slow decline since 2004...start with Terri Schaivo, Katrina, Iraq, Torture, Wiretapping and now a ruined economy...the boooosh "legacy" is a trail of messes that have contradicted a lot of the GOOP "ideology" and proved that a party hell-bent on believing government "is the problem" can't govern effectively.

We saw the rifts start to open during the GOOP primaries...Gramps won the nomination by default, not on his strengths and the various factions are positioning themselves now in the event of a loss. Gramps support has been a mile wide and inch thick...it was the reason he gambled to Sarah Barracuda and has run a campaign of smear and distraction rather than substance. He's trying to hold together what remains of whatever coaltions they had...and if he loses, he will be the scapegoat for all that's gone wrong. In essence he gives all these other factions cover...they will absolve themselves of what happened and even claim that if they had been listened to things would have been different. Stay tuned for one hell of a blame game.

Cheers...

[endthewar]

10. The Republican primaries will be very bloody in 2012

Palin will be attacked viciously and her incompetence will become more obvious. The Libertarians are already pissed off that Ron Paul was thrown under the bus just because he wouldn't support the Iraq War.

[Ganja Ninja]

11. It's already falling apart.

Colin Powell is only one example of the establishment Republicans running from the GOP. The party's been taken over by the crazy, bigoted, religious loons. Whether or not they will come together again is anybody's guess. I think it's over for them.

[YOY]

13. The fiscal conservatives. The ones who actually have been show that they were lied to are pissed.

n/t

[Freedomofmind]

14. Well, as I see it...

If it's going to split, I see it splitting into three main factions *not counting Neocon movement.*


Theocracy/Dominionist wing/party

Militia movement/Nazi/Patriot wing/party and/or Constitutional Party exodus

Big Business/Small government/Fiscal conservatives/Moderates wing/party and/or Democratic Party/ Libertarian Party exodus


Or it will just go down in a downward spiral in denial...

Just my .02$

[teknomanzer]

16. The party is already badly fractured.

Most of the republican intellectuals have jumped ship. They have acknowledged the complete failure of the neocon policies in both foreign and domestic affairs. The economic crisis coupled with the poorly run McCain campaign and the Palin selection has boiled of any moderates in the party leaving behind the racist anti-intellectual fanatical nationalist fundamentalist religious types. This has further served to alienate any "thinking" Republicans. The evidence in this fracture is made clear by the endorsement of Obama by many top Republicans.

I think you will find a large number of moderates and paleo-conservatives probably abstaining in this election. After the complete defeat that the party is sure to suffer you will in fact see a fight for control of the party. I put my money on the old guard Republicans wresting back control after a long battle. They have the money and the bottom line types don't care about God, morality, nationality, or race. They don't see in black and white or red, white and blue. The only color they is green.

[madokie]

17. I don't know

but if we win a big enough majority to smash them they will sulk off and regroup in a few years with new slogans and ideas, if we don't win that big they'll be on Obama like chickens on a june bug. Just like they were with President Carter way back when and Bill Clinton of late.