The combination of a growing (and splintered) libertarian movement (which sort of includes much of the Tea Party) with the ethnic and racial demographic shifts underway and we could be looking at a ‘tipping point’ for the survival of the Republican Party. Imagine what the political landscape would look like if that Party collapsed in the next five or so years. I think it’s possible.
There’s a great story in The National Journal that looks at how the demographic impact will be evident as soon as the 2012 election. It’s here.
You can have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, or democracy. But you cannot have both.
Whatever Works 
You mean sort of like what happened to the Neanderthals? The real world passed them by, too.
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Plus the little brain pan Ric, the little brain pan.
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Well, I doubt it somehow. The demise of the Republican party has been predicted before. They did pretty well in the 2010 election.
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True, they did pretty well in a year when the economy was in the toilet. Once a recovery is well underway, I think we’ll get a better look.
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This was all part of Obama’s sinister plan to rule the world. He allowed the radical right-wingers to gain control of the House in the midterms so they would self-destruct just in time for the 2012 election. It’s diabolical, but brilliant. Muahahahahaaa…
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Those of us with the secret decoder ring knew that already Ben!
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Is $ 3.69 per gallon gasoline part of Obama’s plan ? Is losing in Libya part of his master plan ? Neanderthals foresaw Democrats putting everyone on the Dole and decided to go extinct rather than pay for it all.
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We had Libya? When?
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Ms. Holland ,
When President Obama shot the first cruise missile into Libya and picked sides in a Civil War ? It is different than when Reagan did it . Ronnie Ray Gun just smashed a few items in the China shop . Your hero got glass all over the floor . In the immortal words of Colin Powell, ” once you break it, you are going to own it “, or words to that effect .
Our President is the master of ducking responsibility . I look forward to his political Jujitsu as things turn to crap . If he handles it like he did the BP spill, it’s going to be a long hot summer for you guys .
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Just a note – I am not ‘you guys’ and Obama is not ‘my hero’. He’s my President.
I’m very uneasy – as I’ve said before – about this intervention in Libya, but don’t even consider comparing it to Iraq.
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Ms. Holland ,
” I’m very uneasy – as I’ve said before – about this intervention in Libya, but don’t even consider comparing it to Iraq. ”
And then I ask myself, if George Bush had done everything that Barack Obama had done in Libya , what would mine host be saying ? I walk it back a mile, then I post it .
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When George Bush went into Afghanistan, I supported him. I still support that move. When George Bush went into Iraq I lost all respect for him.
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I would not be so giddy about the outright collapse of the GOP if I were you guys. Unless either the Dems also collapse or a viable right-wing challenger emerges, it could cause a de facto one party situation for a good amount of time.
Case in point: The Progresssive Conservatives under Mulroney completely imploded following the faliure of the Meech Lake Accord here in Canada, and gave rise to what was effectively one-party rule. The Conservatives were so completely decimated that it was swallowed by what were formerly fringe factions: the right-wing Reform party, and the separatist Bloc Québécois. The rest of their support went to the Liberal party.
For the next thirteen fricken years the Liberal Party was able to rule pretty much unchallenged, through a phenomenon known as “Gritlock”. This was because there simply was not a united Canadian right wing, so the very united Liberals were able to win the most seats in Parliament easily every election while the Bloc held most of Québec via vote splitting and the Right wing factions fought each other over the rest in their particular “regions” of the country that wasn’t otherwise claimed by the NDP.
While the Liberals had a few good policies to their name in this time, their preeminance meant that they rapidly became arrogant and drunk on power. When the right finally got back together, the Liberals were embroiled in one massive scandal after another, our foreign policy was non-existant, the Conservative-leaning West was isolated from the rest of the country and was even talking separation, Québec almost did separate due in no small part to Liberal intransigence on constitutional reform, and the military was so starved and gutted it had become an international joke.
If the Republicans collapse, I would not expect anything else but the same magnitude of frustration and corruption that occured in Canada, and it was far from a pleasent experience. Dems out of control can be just as bad as Repubs out of control, so please do not undervalue a reliable political opponent. America just might need it.
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Actually D.I.D., I don’t think I made any judgement in my post about whether a GOP implosion would be good or bad, only that I think it could happen. And I agree with you that extended one party control has a whole set of its own problems. But these days, our divided government isnt doing a very good job – there are sure times that the Parliamentary system looks quite appealing 🙂
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