What options do conservatives have for 2012......

[Dave1]

Will the GOP stick with the likes of Romney, Rudy, Fred and Huck.......or,
will the party morph into something completely different for the next election cycle.....?

Will Palin remain a factor.....?

Would a guy like J.C. Watts be willing to get back into the ring....?

The future is very much open ended at this point. What do you guys see for the party long term....?

[landcruiser]

IMHO, Palin's a non factor in '12. The others may get another scrub, but none of them seem Reagan like. OTOH, Obama hasn't done anything yet and his honeymoon period may be shorter than that of others?

He's got LOTS of problems: Iraq, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the EU, the economy, entitlement programs, and on and on and on.

Will be interesting to see who emerges from the GOP over the course of Obama's time in office. For the sake of our country, I hope he can pull it all together.

=)

[Dave1]

Originally Posted by landcruiser

For the sake of our country, I hope he can pull it all together.

I couldn't agree more........

[Beefhouse]

I think Republicans need to get back the their roots: small government, low spending, low taxes, and free markets.

[MuttGrunt]

^ i agree
i'm not a conservative, only a moderate (hope i can still post here!), but i see a lot of problems for the republicans
i think the main thing, as stated, is getting back to their roots - and staying true to them. u can't claim small federal government and states rights, but then try to support a constitutional ammendment against gay marriage like bush did. thats not a republican move. you can't say smaller federal government but then have the federal government go on a record spending spree. one or the other. in addition, will the more moderate conservatives begin to dominate, or will there be a stronger push to the right?
i think some of the problems that party is going through are due to the mix of conservative minds with the parties ideas. they need to stay true to the party- not the political right / religious right. party ideas need to come before and above religion or conservativeness. if they start to once again really stick with their party ideas, i think they'll gain a lot more support, rather than trying to justify their stance with religion - justify it with the party ideas.
an example is "roe v wade should be overturned because the federal government shouldn't make those choices. individual states should chose what is permitted." that is more of a sound arguement than "my religion says its murder" which just doesn't stand, because not all people believe a fertilized cell is a human, nor are all of us the same religion.

overall - back to the parties core values, and staying away from the religous right are the things i think they need to do to become popular again

[Len_A]

Originally Posted by Beefhouse

I think Republicans need to get back the their roots: small government, low spending, low taxes, and free markets.

Not necessarily. If the Republicans don't adjust to the changing demographics in this country, while they may bounce back in 2012, the odds for the long run are greatly against them.

[Dave1]

Originally Posted by Len_A

Not necessarily. If the Republicans don't adjust to the changing demographics in this country, while they may bounce back in 2012, the odds for the long run are greatly against them.

I'm not so sure about that......

They ran more moderate than ever and lost big time. Newt and Rush have been talking about getting back to old school conservative ideas and reshaping the party leadership to reflect that. The "con-lite" version might not be back for a second go-around.......

It will be interesting to see how the GOP shapes up in the next couple of years.....

[Len_A]

Originally Posted by Dave1

I'm not so sure about that......

They ran more moderate than ever and lost big time. Newt and Rush have been talking about getting back to old school conservative ideas and reshaping the party leadership to reflect that. The "con-lite" version might not be back for a second go-around.......

It will be interesting to see how the GOP shapes up in the next couple of years.....

As Hispanics and African Americans grow in population, it becomes more and more difficult for the traditional conservative to win. That's not to say they won't make a comeback in 2012 or 2016, but it will be difficult and it won't be lasting. It may not happen in Newt and Rush's lifetime, but there's going to be a time when Hispanics, Asian's & African Americans will be more than 50% of the population, and when those demographics come to pass, "old school conservative ideas" won't have the appeal to get elected.

[Robb]

Originally Posted by Len_A

Not necessarily. If the Republicans don't adjust to the changing demographics in this country, while they may bounce back in 2012, the odds for the long run are greatly against them.

I have to agree, as long as the democrats can keep spouting that the GOP is out of touch, I think people will buy it

[Scottwax]

Originally Posted by Len_A

As Hispanics and African Americans grow in population, it becomes more and more difficult for the traditional conservative to win. That's not to say they won't make a comeback in 2012 or 2016, but it will be difficult and it won't be lasting. It may not happen in Newt and Rush's lifetime, but there's going to be a time when Hispanics, Asian's & African Americans will be more than 50% of the population, and when those demographics come to pass, "old school conservative ideas" won't have the appeal to get elected.

Old school conservative does have appeal as long as conservatives get the message out. Black and Hispanic voters tend to be very conservative socially. 8 in 10 blacks voted no on prop 8 in California, for example. I believe 6 in 10 Hispanic voters were against it too. The Republicans need to go into teaching mode the next 4 years but they also need to set an example as well by not going back to how they governed the last several years but how they were during the Reagan years and in 1994.

Republicans like JC Watts and Bobby Jindal have mass appeal, adhere to Reagan/Gingrich conservatism and are not the typical older white male demographic.

[Dave1]

Originally Posted by Scottwax

Republicans like JC Watts and Bobby Jindal have mass appeal, adhere to Reagan/Gingrich conservatism and are not the typical older white male demographic.

I agree.....

There is a guy (Watts) that might have left at the wrong time for his career.....

He was well liked and was a new look conservative. He said he left for financial reasons, (many become lobbyists) Jindal is another fresh face in the GOP. Palin also got a high approval ratings among conservatives after the election. The GOP many need to morph as a new team with a fresh look but, their same core principals can remain intact.....

[Len_A]

Originally Posted by Scottwax

Old school conservative does have appeal as long as conservatives get the message out. Black and Hispanic voters tend to be very conservative socially. 8 in 10 blacks voted no on prop 8 in California, for example. I believe 6 in 10 Hispanic voters were against it too. The Republicans need to go into teaching mode the next 4 years but they also need to set an example as well by not going back to how they governed the last several years but how they were during the Reagan years and in 1994.

Republicans like JC Watts and Bobby Jindal have mass appeal, adhere to Reagan/Gingrich conservatism and are not the typical older white male demographic.

Like I said in an earlier post, if they don't adapt to the changing demographics...

Jindal appeals to non oriental Asians. Watts does not have a lot of widespread appeal in the African American segment, but he was a start.

Prop 8 passed, but the percentage of support for gay marriage is a bit higher than it was four or five years ago. Still, that's one area where non whites vote conservatively. Fiscal issues, they're trend more liberal than anything else.