Republicans don't need to strengthen their support in the south, and we really don't want another Bush on a national ticket for at least 8 years if not longer. Republicans need a ticket that can win in the north and northeast and hold onto western states like Colorado and Arizona. In summary, no southerners and no Bushs.
"Republicans don't need to strengthen their support in the south"
I can't speak for the entire region, but you're wrong as far as North Carolina is concerned. Might as well beat on a hornet's nest with a baseball bat, for all the love lost over foreign trade, illegal immigration, corruption and immorality. Republicans could very well have a hand in creating a populist monster, if they continue to ignore this.