Two years ago EVERYONE was talking about the Republican party is nearly irrelevant

[titaniumsalute]

Well that was proven bullshit tonight.

What the fuck. I give up. Let's turn into the United States of Jesus Christers and just baptize oursleves in right-wing nutjobness.

[YarnAddict]

1. I learned about 35 years ago

to never count them out. I had a college professor who proclaimed that the R's would dwindle to a just a regional party. Within months the "Ray-gun Revolution" happened, and I've been wary of all predictions of their demise ever since. They are the Zombie Party.

[LeftInTX]

2. They were pronounced dead in 1974

I mean everyone thought they were going to go extinct.

I didn't believe the talk 2 years ago. They lost the presidency and that is all.

[Johonny]

3. and yet they abasically are nearly irrelevant, that is the amazing thing about this election

They also happen to have a lot of political power. The two ideas are not mutually exclusive From gay marriage to the economy the Republican view point is completely proven to be irrelevant. For instance many states voted to increase minimum wage AND elect Republicans into power positions. Think about it. Policy wise America has time and time again shown post Bush that the Republican's 2100st century platform is not relevant to the lives the vast majority of Americans want to live. And yet Americans vote for them anyways. If you solve this disconnect then you win the world because no one else has been able to figure it out. Many "claim" it is a result of the two party system. I.E. why Democrats somehow managed to have any power even after the civil war went so bad for them... The Torre's aren't dead in the UK so I imagine the Republican party won't die completely either, but I also doubt we are about to ban gay marriage or remove gay soldiers from the military or any number of stupid Republican ideas from the 1950s... the public doesn't want it. Why the public doesn't know what Republicans stand for... no one seems to know the answer to thing.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

11. You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. N.T.

[hugo_from_TN]

4. In a 2-party political system, it is not possible for either party to become irrelevant

There is a balancing mechanism in place.

[LordGlenconner]

7. Winner winner chicken dinner

Two years from now we'll be talking about how the GOP overplayed their hand and lost a chance at the presidency. I have (almost) no doubts.

[okieinpain]

9. exactly. I would be more worried if it was president romney.

president obama isn't the most liberal president but with in one year everyone's attention will be on the 2016 elections. so to me this isn't that big a deal, we just have to make sure they don't keep the seats up for grab in 2016. I don't think we will ever get the house back due to gerrymandering.

[SoCalDem]

5. We (Dems) never supply the coup d'grace to them

We should have come out swinging in Feb of 09, and never let up.. We always try to play nice, as if we get brownie points from being nice..

We are always ready to clean up the messes left by republicans, share the blame for the mess, and then we stand by waiting for their next mess..

We lose because we select timid, milque-toasty candidates who are eager to agree with republican adversaries.. that's why we lose

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

6. They were?

In spite of the fact that the Republicans maintained control of the House? Ignorant talk if anyone said such.

[titaniumsalute]

10. Yes

http://www.salon.com/2013/05/12/republicans_flirting_with_extinction_on_immigration/

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/01/08/republican-party-extinct.html

http://blogs.reuters.com/nicholas-wapshott/2012/12/12/is-conservativism-going-extinct/

Just to name a few articles...

[cali]

8. Not I. I was warning against just that.