And this will be a "bad" thing?
“it will mean the end of the Republican Party as a national party.”
I think a case can be made for arguing that the Republican party, right now, is no longer “a national party”.
A “national party” is one that can at least be competitive in all fifty states.
The Republicans have sunk to the point where they no longer can “compete” in some states, such as California, Illinois, New York, and the entire region of New England. Overall, the Republican party has become almost irrelevant in the governance of a group of states that is approaching about 1/3 of the total available Electoral College votes.
To wit, the G.O.P. is “receding” into a regional party — fading away like to old man’s hairline.
The problem is, with guys like Boehner in the forefront, it will take a razor to itself and shave away any hair that’s left, all on its own!