What many of the posters are picking up on is the economic drivers of the party identities.
In the ten year cycle where the Whig party lost its national influence it was, as most parties were then, mainly founded upon economic principles — Manifest Destiny and rapid economic expansion. What occurred was the slavery expansion issue ran into the various factions within the Whig party that supported various compromise solutions that did not settle the question and the party factionalized allowing the newly minted Republican party to take hold. As the approaching civil war marginalized economic issues to the new dominance of slavery expansion issues, the Whigs split and withered. From having Zac Taylor win the presidency to his death, Filmore coming into office and the ensuing ten years they then finished a very poor third place in 1860 ten years later.
We have a similar thing now — economic issues overriding a constitutional crisis causing a party failure. If we are willing to have ten years of nothing followed by a civil convulsion, we can try what the Republicans of 1854-56 tried and start a new national party.
The easier course is to fight and fight and take the Republican voter base and keep the Republican vehicle and change it to a constitutional oriented platform and not an economically driven party caving to the Chamber and big employers.
Let’s take a Senate win in a bi-year election and build for the National election with a strong candidate that we all get behind. We are dependent upon the conservative candidates to coalesce — nothing else will produce it. Let’s say that Cruz and Jindal both announce they will support the nomination of Walker (or Perry), they are both young enough to follow eight years later and the party unites behind them and the fairly conservative governor. Next cycle, Cruz goes to the top.
Let’s take a Senate win in a bi-year election and build for the National election with a strong candidate that we all get behind. We are dependent upon the conservative candidates to coalesce — nothing else will produce it.
Just like we did the last three election cycles?
Do you know Einstein’s definition of insanity?