Just for grins, watch this video of cats taking over dogs' beds. The culture war presumes a lot like the cats in the video. In real voter terms (that is, excluding manufactured, illegal, ginned, harvested, and outright fraudulent Democrat votes), regular joe and jane Americans are about two-to-one disgusted with the biased MSM, liberalism, Obama, and government. They don't like where the Democrats have gone, but many, most, Republicans are as lusting for government as Democrats.
There are more of us (productive Americans who just want government to get out of our hair) than there are of actual leftists. We're the dogs in the video.
Unlike you, I will reject a Christie candidate if the GOP nominates such for the presidential. I expect they will. As a Californian, the East Coast elite select "my" Republican candidate; my "vote" and selection are already neutered. I have no illusions that it will change over the next two years.
I hope Palin runs Third Party. Even if she entered the GOP primaries, she'd be selected-out in the first few weeks. Voting Republican is a crap shoot, a total crap shoot with regard to being represented, and I think that roughly two in three cognizant Americans basically agree. This country is ripe for a 2nd Party. We only have one party now, the Uniparty, of DemRep "choice."
I sure do like some of the things you've mentioned about shooting wars. Nice historical reminders. The ballot box and soapbox, you are correct. I also think that the only way to make the ballot box work in 2016, will be to embrace the third party gamble. Risk is the price you pay for opportunity. And even if he/she loses, if there's a Perot effect, the Pres will be in office with most Americans having voted "against" him or her. That's pretty much guaranteed no matter who wins. So liberalism, R or D, is put on offense. Conservatism gains.
Voting Republican is crap shoot enough without having to vote for a figure who advocates and assists all the government tyranny that I abhor. It's as nuts as voting for the Democrat. It's why I declined to vote for Romney, and why I am very relieved that he lost.
I only disagree in the sense that it will be much easier to take control of the R party from within rather than try to win with a third or second party as you claim. I have no idea though how anybody could believe that Romney could possibly be as bad as Obama. In fact he would have at least supported polices that would have had a chance at working to improve our economy. And Romney is a decent person, something that we cannot say about Obama. No, the US would be in much better shape had Romney been elected come 2016 than it will be now.
Just as an FYI, I hate the GOPe with a passion, but I believe the best and most workable strategy is to take the GOP over from within using the Tea Party and I believe that can take place over the next two or three election cycles. Creating a second/third party and then for it to gain enough strength to be a real player and effect policies that will begin to restore the Republic would take far longer during which time the progressives would do much more damage to this country and the Constitution than if we followed the takeover strategy, IMHO.
I will also go out on the limb by anticipating a likely response about how the Whigs went away when the Tea Partiers of the day formed the Republican Party in 1853. Yes the Whigs were finished but the fact is the modern Republican party has had 160 years to burrow in just as deep as the dems that is why I believe it a fools errand to try to supplant the Republican Party rather than take it over from within. I understand this would be a tough fight but with the tsunami of disgust with building against most long term incumbents I believe this is the time to wage that intra-party fight as it seems to me, reading the tea leaves, that this is the time to take on the GOPe and at the same time we’re taking it over also defeat the dems at the same time.
Forgot to add earlier that I believe that at some point the risk of starting a third party might be something wort taking but at this point, considering the Tea Party only began the fight in 2009 it’s too early for that risk, I think. At this point I do not think the risk/reward equation is in our favor. We’ve just begun to fight, lets not lose it before we give it a chance.
Shazam!
Correct Finny, McCain, Bonehead et al. Aren't RINO's.
We Are.
The Republicans are for Uncle Sam to be there to hold your hand too, except on a budget.
They Like Government as much as the next Progressive.
That is what is so Liberating about being truly Independent, you don't NEED the Federal Bureaucracy or the Parities to get along in life.
We have Pro-Statism and Anti-Statism in this country. And that Statist have plenty of Cheerleaders here on the Right too.
That is why the Reject some like Sarah Palin (or Ted Cruz just you wait and See) and then SCREAM at you on why you didn't vote for Romney Unicrat-Esstablishment.