"Their reformation will depend very much on dropping the "progressive" agenda which has resulted in so much damage to what Middle America considers (rightly, I might add) hale and proper."
Eye, there is the rub! The DNC is determined to push the pro homosexual pro abortion agenda. There also has been a decided move to the left over the past 20 years. I don't see any substantive change coming anytime soon.
I was thinking in much broader terms, but the homosexual agenda and RvW are part of it.
Now, bear something in mind: My take on the gay "marriage" issue and the abortion issue are not in lockstep with those of the folks here on FR who track them most ardently.
On gay "marriage":
Get the government ENTIRELY out of the marriage business. Establish legal equity (inheritance, next-of-kin rights, taxation, perhaps insurance... NOT adoption!) by making all of the legal pair-bonding contracts "Unions". Let the culture-war aspect of the issue be handled by the people. It is NOT the government's job to take a side in the culture war. I believe the matter will settle once the majority no longer need be concerned that a very small minority-within-a-minority will use the government to force them to pretend to love them.
On Abortion:
I very, VERY tepidly support the continued availability of legal abortion.
OTOH, Roe vs. Wade is clearly unconstitutional, for several reasons, and should be struck down.
The matter should then return to the several State legislatures, perhaps even to local legislatures.
If you want my reasoning for this, i'll explain in as much detail as I can... I've lost track of where I posted my thoughts on this issue, but I can reconstitute them, thought they might lack the specific citations I used before.