the problem is that the republicans are looking more and more like democrats. and they have been weak for too long. without a strong candidate, they have their work cut out for them.
like going after a 32 gun frigate with a 12 gun sloop.
This is true; but you have to remember that there are people among us who LOVE to sew the seeds of dissention in the GOP.
And I have to disagree with the "looking more and more like Democrats" thing; I haven't seen the GOP advocating the draft or gays in the military; that's coming in January, for sure.
Well, Jack Aubrey did it. He took on the Spanish 32-gun Cacafuego in his 12-gun sloop Sophie and won...
Oh, wait. That's fiction. Never mind.
It's true that there are some very strong prospects within the GOP other than McCain or Giulani, or even Mitt Romney. The 64 million dollar question is if the current party leadership will choose to support those candidates or strangle them out in order to ramrod McCain into the White House. That, I think, would be a big mistake. McCain can't win because too many Republicans hate him after the McCain-Feingold Bill and his leadership of the Gang of 14. Giuliani is too liberal: pro-gay marriage, pro-abortion, pro-amnesty. Locally, he helped bust up the mobs when he was DA- how effective his efforts ultimately were, I am not certain; I don't live in NYC, so I can't really hazard a guess. Nationally, he just happened to be the mayor of NYC on 9/11/01. Since then, he's been touted by the media as "America's Mayor," which I think is a load of hooey. he just happened to be the guy in the office that day.
I propose that the first thing that all Republicans at all points of the spectrum need to do in order to win in 2008 is to revisit the founding principles of the party, and come together on that common ground. Otherwise, we're going to be just as fragmented then, or worse, as the Party is now.
I know that many here remember why the Republican party was formed. There were certain values that enough people agreed with to form a breakaway party. Those values were founded in certain truths. Remember, the GOP was once considered an "insignificant" party when it first came into existence.
Having looked into the Constitution Party, I don't see them as a viable option. A cornerstone of their party platform is isolationism; this is a lovely notion, but dangerously unrealistic in an age when our survival depends on our ability to hit our enemies with everything that is not nailed down and then with whatever can be pried loose.
Furthermore, to paraphrase what another Freeper said, the CP needs to work on getting more little fish into the pond before they attempt to throw one into the deep blue sea. They don't have the political "oomph" that can only come through years of having their people serving in lower offices and thus a track record. People still have the ashes of 1992 in their mouths thanks to Ross Perot, and the 2000 election showed us yet again how a liberal wierdo with a comparatively small following can seriously jeopardize an election if our primary's candidate is not leading by a wide enough margin to ensure victory.
I have thrown my share of bombs- you all know this. And I have admitted when I am wrong- this you also know. If I'm missing something on this, inform me. But I will respectfully maintain that the only way that the Republican Party is going to return to is former greatness is if everyone in the Party revives the founding principles that made our Party great in the first place. This means unity among and throughout the entire Party.
Does that mean compromising on the really important stuff, like truth, justice, strength, honor, integrity and duty? I don't think so. If we Republicans really have those things in mind when we come to the table, the best of what is good about the Party shines through. But if one side- either side- prefers the preservation of their control over what is good and necessary for the future of the Party, and of the nation, then it won't work and at that point the Party is doomed.