Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire What would the Republican party look like if....

To add...shots are being fired already...
Sen. Ted Cruz on Thursday took a thinly veiled shot at Jeb Bush, saying that Republicans will ensure a Hillary Clinton presidency if they run a more moderate candidate in 2016.

Appearing on CNBC, the Texas Republican and tea party favorite was asked about Bush and said that presidential candidates from the party�s establishment wing � like Arizona Sen. John McCain in 2008 and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in 2012 � consistently fail to turn out millions of voters.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/10/ted-cruz-jeb-bush-hillary-clinton-112349.html#ixzz3HdzV01Xh

I guess the whole point of this discussion is

can the GOP win with its current configuration?

some people will give you a resounding yes pointing to just a couple of percentage point changes in one state or another and Obama wouldn't have won his second term, or maybe they'll take solace in the GOP winning the mid terms

I just happen to believe that the GOP will not win the white house because there are too many people out there that will vote against a GOP platform until a GOP candidate specifically spells out they aren't going to push morality or cut social programs.

Now some folks may say "what's the point of being a republican then" and there is some truth to that but I don't see a path to the white house for a republican unless that changes.

Some people dog the libertarians for supporting a guy they know will lose based on priciple, and to be honest, I don't see much difference in the republicans at this point.

5% points or 45% points - a loss is still a loss.

It's less and less evangelically driven. As a matter of fact many of us feel that the Republican party has become hostile to us. Thus why we are leaving them more and more, just like krp stated. Just like why I left them.

That said, a National Platform define's the party as a whole right down to your local level. While things like defending traditional marriage is a part of that platform, so is defending the 10th amendment.

Defending traditional marriage has always been a 10th amendment thing for evangelicals.

We believe that the first, second, and tenth amendments are the only things protecting our (evangelical) way of life.

I think a candidate that is evangelical and constitutional, extolling the 10th amendment, would be very very effective.

well, I think Cruz is right on that.

The libertarians have been saying that for both elections.

The ? is - does Cruz have the silver bullet figured out on how to bring down a popular Democratic candidate like Hillary?

I think you are right. Here in Montana the vote for the house and senate is coming down to the gun vote.

The senate Democrat candidate is so anti-gun that I don't think she stands much of a chance of getting the senate.

The house is a toss up on the gun vote.

Without the gun vote the Democrats would win both houses in a cake walk.

If the Rs would stick to low/flat taxes, smaller government, and strong national defense, they'd win. The culture war crap kills them.

The Tea Party has no use for Republicans and vice versa. The Tea Party is 90% + Libertarian.

I think Obama would have to be a serious boat anchor to Hillary like Bush was to McCain.

And if things remain status quo - Hillary will come in on a stabilized economy with unemployment below 5.7%, gas prices tolerable and people able to get loans on cars and houses again.

Its going to be a tough fight for Republicans to stand up and say we won't repeat the Bush years.

And BTW, the Republicans are whores just like the Democrats...they just dress better.....

I don't think I'll ever live long enough to see a Republican in the WH.

I think Hillary's popularity is falling.

That last sound bite will really hurt her.

"Don't let anyone tell you that corporations and businesses create jobs."

"You didn't build that" hurt Obama but I think Hillary has too much dirt and too many offensive sound bites to win.

I fear that opens the door to a moderate republican more though. That's frustrating.

I'd have to disagree with you on that.

They may *think* they are libertarian leaning, but just because you say you want smaller government and less taxes doesn't make you libertarian.

A very high % of those people would bail and vote old guard GOP the moment Rand Paul starts talking about not funding Israel, closing military bases, privatizing various government functions and cutting government funding on education, epa and HUD.

yea, that was dumb on her part.

I agree!

Culture matters, that's a fact, but emphasizing what resonates with everybody like you put up, while not ostracising values is a winning combination.

The man that can articulate conservatism as a role of government would win, solidly.

Cruz is dead center right, but I don't think at this time, he can win those voters we have been talking about.

Things may change, Cruz is just about the sharpest tool in the shed, but all those Christians lined up in the snow drifts to buy Palin's book...just sayin'

If a democrat had the economy melt on him and fight 2 wars at the same time like it happened under Bush, there would be a Republican being elected. Americans would have elected Richard Simmons over whatever party presided over that mess. Heck that mess even hurt Hillary as people felt she was too hawkish - and her close ties to supporting the war made her seem like she was old guard with Bush and McCain.

but its safe to say the GOP has a bigger hill to climb, even with all things being equal in the election. The numbers just aren't there for them like they are for Democrats. And its only going to get worse as Latino's come on board

They are going to have to change something - opinions vary on what that something is

Completely agree




Tough, yes.

But I think guys like Cruz and Rand present a distinct enough difference to sell it. They can articulate that difference.

yes they can to the nation, but it comes back to the old quandary that Romney faced - I can run to win the white house or I can run to win the GOP primary - but those are two different campaigns.

Misleading statistic.

Remove single black women, who make up the majority of single women voters and let me know how they vote.

This is just like the bullshyt the media tried to pull in 2008 and 2012, by claiming that "women voters" voted for Obama.

The reality was that White Women voted overwhelmingly for Romney 56% to 42%, but the media relentlessly attempted to claim Women voted for Obama. The truth is 96% of black women voted for Obama, which overwhelmed the "women voter" demographic.

The truth is that those looking for handouts now outnumber those that desire to work for a living. The Republican party does not have a message problem, it get's the vote of real American men and women.

The only way the Republican party can change the dynamic is to get into a competition with the Democratic party, as to who can give away more free stuff.