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ORIGINAL: mnottertail

2) is unacceptable, they would have to change their name to RINO.

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ORIGINAL: Pspanker

A large chunk of the electorate does not want to vote for Democrats. Just don't! Not in 2012, not in 2016, not ever. Anyway, we need at least two parties. But, especially in the swing states, sane center-right voters might support a reality-based, small-c "conservative" alternative (e.g. John Anderson) that eschews further suicide missions for the rich, and is not offering the same five-point plan that the GOP has offered in 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012. In 2016, the most viable strategy for such folks-- especially if Republicans control the House-- would be a third-party challenger with a fresh agenda on enough swing state ballots-- just seven would do it-- to make Republican victory mathematically impossible without concessions to the third candidate. If such a candidate persevered to November and won outright in a few states, s/he could then bargain with both parties for the electoral college majority. If s/he persevered for four more years to elect some actual members of the House, then by 2020 a new party may have taken hold that could both throw presidential elections to the House and decide the outcomes there. History suggests that when either party faces this sort of mortal threat, it does the math, sees the danger, and quietly makes peace with the opposition on its flank. If it can...

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ORIGINAL: subrob1967

If Romney loses the GOP needs to crawl off into the sunset and die. Even if they take control of all of Congress, they still need to fade into obscurity.

But that's not gonna happen so, hopefully Obama's brand of Democrat will disappear, and we'll finally end this pseudo socialist crap the current DNC is practicing.

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ORIGINAL: DarkSteven
I've been wondering about what life would be like if we had a more European system, where various different parties with sharply different platforms carve up shares of the electorate, and after the election have to work out deals to cobble together a majority.

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ORIGINAL: Louve00

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ORIGINAL: theshytype

It seems to me that after a Dem cleans up all the messes of the prior president, voters forget the past and forget who caused the mess to begin with. Dem voters no longer feel a pressing need to vote, so we circle around all over again. IMO, the only way the DNC can secure a win in 2016 is if Clinton runs. No matter how much dysfunction the right-wing has, there will always be one poster child they'll fall in line with. Just because he's Republican.

I wouldn't be sad if you were completely right, though.

IMHO the Tea Party is what'll keep the reps from going anywhere. They're irrational in every way and they're scary. As long as they run in with the R party, the uncertainty will be there (IMO) I've a hunch those birthers will go away when Obama goes away. Time will tell on my hunch

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ORIGINAL: DomKen

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ORIGINAL: mnottertail

2) is unacceptable, they would have to change their name to RINO.

It might be to the current base but they have to expand or find a new base or become irrelevant nationally.

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ORIGINAL: DarkSteven

1. The economy is IMO poised for a turnaround. Whomever is President in 2012-2016 will get credit. If that's Obama, then the GOP will be considered the party that flushed the economy down the toilet, and the Democrats the party that presided over the recovery. The GOP's sole consolation is that the recovery will be tepid.

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ORIGINAL: fmfclwu

Remember in 2008 when the Republican party was proved to be electorally irrelevant, and might even be permanently dead?

Yeah, let's not kid ourselves here.

Our first-past-the-post voting system guarantees a two-party system. The only way a third party can arise is if one party gets so weak that the "third" party can kill it completely and become just the "second" party.

In terms of post-2012, the Republicans will cling to churning up anger in old whites for as long as that remains somewhat viable. As we saw in 2010, the low-turnout midyear elections are still quite vulnerable to this strategy. Eventually, the almost inevitable move is that, as demographics become too unfavorable to tolerate, the Republicans will shift on immigration and make a play for the Catholic Hispanic vote, by shifting back to the party of Social Backwardsness Conservatism.

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ORIGINAL: bull4couples
I cannot imagine Hillary Clinton as President and don't think it's going to happen. White men are simply not going to vote for a woman who looks like their ex-wife.