Reply #10: There are certain things that you have to consider about the

[necso]

current state of the Republican Party:

1) Republicans fight in the primaries and then generally vote for whomever is the winner.
2) The notable desertions of Republicans from their Party in recent years have been the neocons deserting (or not showing up for) Bush (1) and Ford, because these candidates were not neocon-ish enough. (Dole's backing from the neocons was also weak, because he was seen as being "old school".) But no Republican Presidential candidate in the foreseeable future is going to be anything other than an out-and-out neocon.
3) The moderates and conservatives (neocons aren't really conservatives) in the Republican Party have very little power left. -- The "base" of the Party has moved (and been moved) away from traditional beliefs to those of the neocons.

At issue here is what makes a neocon. As a former Republican I will describe my observations on (and opinions about -- and prejudices in) this matter.

Neocons:

1) Have no concern for traditional American, conservative, Republican or even religious values.
2) Recognize as being "values" only those things that the neocons say are values, or where they are unable to completely dispose of a traditional value, say like patriotism, they define it to mean only what they say it does.
3) Have reduced practically every intellectual framework (and the related language) of common notice to the point where it is a useless, narrowly framed and specifically focused caricature of itself. (All to neocon ends of course.)
4) Use the most bestial tactics along with the most effective propaganda to acheive their ends. (Personal attacks, usually unfounded and/or totally distorted, are a particular favorite).
5) Treat politics (and getting their own way generally) as total war.
6) Serve their own interests and the interests of the elite that funds them practically exclusively. (Of course, there are many levels of this, and those neocons on the lowest levels -- the vast majority -- can expect to get only a few crumbs, which crumbs serve them little... and come at great cost.)
7) Put forward patent nonsense like the trickle-down theory as, essentially, a religious belief. (I remember laughing with other Republicans at Reagan's "voodoo economics" -- now, "we are it".)
8) Appeal to the most base elements of human nature.
9) Brook no real discussion or honest portrayal of the facts or of alternative policies.
10) Have a specific agenda, but will use any argument to further their cause, with no concern for consistency, reality or reason.
11) Use wedge issues to divide potential opponents.
12) Have an understanding of and a grip on the fundamentals of the political process like the political mechanism, funding, media etc.
13) Have a vast machine to create, fund and propagate first rate propaganda.
14) Reward those who support their ends (where necessary), but (always) try to crush those who offer dissent, no matter who these people may be, or how legitimate this dissent is.
15) Make great use of secrecy.
16) Refuse to be held accountable or responsible -- someone else is always at fault, or there is no problem.

I could go on to name a number of specific tenets of the neocon "creed" (or list more points of this general nature), but not all neocons share the exact same doctrine. However, what they do share is a willingness to go along with the whole program in order to get their own little "nuggets", be these power, money, or the implementation of some favored doctrine. (True, pirates will often quarrel over the booty, but every little squabble is not a sign that they are falling out -- it just means a few more bodies.) And some distinction needs to be made for the neocon elite -- who are in a position to better get everything that they really want. After all, no member of the neocon elite is going to be hampered by laws (or legal interpretations) banning abortion, or by similar (to them) minor inconveniences.

Of course, I take a broad view of what constitutes a neocon, and many others do not. (There is a tendency to identify the neocon elite -- and often some subset of that elite (especially that subset which is actually "in the know") -- as the whole. But I dispute this -- to me it is the extent to which you pick up neocon "culture", that makes you a neocon, regardless of whether you really understand what is going on, or gain any real benefit from it.) And from my perspective, many of the Republican conservatives (or moderates -- or whatever), who bemoan the actions of what they call neocons, are just as responsible for the cancer (that I have outlined above) that infects the Republican Party and the nation. -- These cancerous tactics are most useful, if unAmerican and irresponsible -- and the predecessors of the neocons did not hesitate to use these tactics for their own ends. But these predecessors have been replaced by a group of people who seek nothing beyond these tactics -- and who have made a "culture" out of them -- the neocons. And the neocons have taken all these things to new lows.

So no, I don't see a substantial (block) following coming from the Republican Party to support a third party candidate. The neocon warlords will feed enough red meat (and promises) to their various groups of followers to keep them on-board, if not completely happy -- and the neocons will use intimidation (and promises) to keep major Republican politicians from running as (or supporting) opponents. Moreover, should anything of a third (not-liberal) party threaten the neocons, I expect it to be effectively sidetracked like it was in 2000.

In terms of policies, I think that what we need to do is address the concerns of the people (and the problems of the nation) in a practical, effective and progressive manner, and in words (and images) that the people can understand -- and that appeal to them. I don't think that any single issue will suffice, although an essential focus (like some particular economic focus) could provide a common thread to a number of specific policies, which not only helps people to understand these specific policies, but also provides a marketing theme in of itself.

Of course it helps to have candidates with all those superficial qualities that appeal so much to so many people. But this is most important where elections are close, and close elections are something that we must avoid whenever we can.