- Joined
- Sep 3, 2011
- Messages
- 34,817
- Reaction score
- 18,576
- Location
- Look to your right... I'm that guy.
- Gender
- Undisclosed
- Political Leaning
- Centrist
Should the Tea Party break away from the Republicans and form an official political party?
No. There's definitely a split among Republicans but in my opinion it's smaller than often made out to be. The establishment Republicans and tea partiers do too much for each other for a split to make sense. A division would mean a loss of influence for both sides.
I disagree. Republicans need to try to be seen to represent a wider diversity of American voters or they'll watch their party sink into irrelevance. Surgery's needed- they need to separate themselves from the 'tea party' radicals.
I think the Republicans seen as radical are losing influence. If there was actually a split and they ran candidates against each other there would be a rapid decrease in power for both sides.
Losing influence in the party, maybe, but they're sure putting themselves front-and-centre.
I miss the days when there were conservative thinkers, a conservative philosophy. I resent those tea-baggers, I despise Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh. Dammit, I miss William F Buckley. He was something we liberals could push against!
Should the Tea Party break away from the Republicans and form an official political party?
If we were a parliamentary system it would make sense to split, but in our first past the post system it's impractical. I don't care for Beck or Limbaugh, but kicking their faction out doesn't make political sense.
I disagree. Republicans need to try to be seen to represent a wider diversity of American voters or they'll watch their party sink into irrelevance. Surgery's needed- they need to separate themselves from the 'tea party' radicals.
I don't see the democrat party separating themselves from the leftist radicals that are running their show.
Great idea,split up and fight each other like cats and dogs. A few tell-all books would be nice. Start doing that immediately.
That will be good for the Democrats.
Establishment republicans should re-join their Democrat party and Conservatives should establish the Tea Party. We need to get back to a true two-party system.Should the Tea Party break away from the Republicans and form an official political party?
Neither do I. Maybe either the 'leftist radicals' are figments of your imagination or, if they're real, they don't cost the party votes.
It's both. Democrats almost never play to their "liberal base" because it wouldn't matter anyway. A few radicals will vote for the Green party, and the rest will grumble and vote Democrat because the alternative is far worse.
For whatever reason, Republicans don't get that about their base. They think that they have to appease the furthest right wing of their party, despite the fact that they will vote Republican in the end no matter what. The only logical reason they listen to them in the first place is because individual Congressmen will be "primaried" and then lose to the next guy in line. I don't know why Democrats don't have to worry about this, maybe it's because the tempers of Republican and Democratic voters is just that pronounced.
It's like that joke about the two guys going into bear country- "I don't have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun you!" So long as the Republicans pander to the radical right they're abandoning a slice of the centre to the Democrats.
I don't see the democrat party separating themselves from the leftist radicals that are running their show.
Third parties really don't seem to make much of an impression. OTOH, you can share out the donations to a much smaller group. It would be very revealing but I seriously doubt the possibility.
It's both. Democrats almost never play to their "liberal base" because it wouldn't matter anyway. A few radicals will vote for the Green party, and the rest will grumble and vote Democrat because the alternative is far worse.
For whatever reason, Republicans don't get that about their base. They think that they have to appease the furthest right wing of their party, despite the fact that they will vote Republican in the end no matter what. The only logical reason they listen to them in the first place is because individual Congressmen will be "primaried" and then lose to the next guy in line. I don't know why Democrats don't have to worry about this, maybe it's because the tempers of Republican and Democratic voters is just that pronounced.