Would this country be better or worse off without the GOP?

[Jamaal510]

I started wondering about this a few weeks ago. While I was thinking that it would be great to get rid of Republican obstacles to progressive goals and equality, I heard a DUer mentioning it being bad for democracy here because there would then only be one major political party. And the person went on to say that if the RWers from the GOP decided to join the Democratic Party, it could shift rightwards.
What do you think?

[cyberswede]

1. If the GOP went away...

and a truly Left party could emerge, then I think that would be great.

[zbdent]

10. It would be squashed by the Democratic party ...

[DearAbby]

2. Where are we gonna put them?

Swiss banks? Cayman postboxes?...maybe we can paper-train them, when have accidents, we rub their noses in it, then smack their noses with wet newspapers.


Like it or not, we are stuck with these people. We just have to be louder. And have more votes.

[Zalatix]

3. Don't send them to an alien world

They might take that as a declaration of war.

[DearAbby]

11. What do you have against Aliens?

We would be forever banned from 'THE FEDERATION' if we purposely upload a virus into the galactic community.

[cynatnite]

4. As it is right now, we'd have 1 dominant political party...

That idea frightens me more than the republican party in it's current state.

[rustydog]

5. America would be better off if "normal" Republicans, like those of old, took back their party

The GOP needs a knock-down drag-out barroom brawl for control of their party. They need to purge and just plain throw out the corrent evil leadership. They need to develop a set of values again that is not centered around making insanely large bank accounts at te expense of 300 million people.

[Romulox]

6. You've got to remember, the choice the "good cop" offers *only* appears that way

because the choice the "bad cop" offers is so bad.

So, if the Republican Party didn't exist, it would be necessary to invent it.

[kentuck]

7. Without this Republican Party?

The country would be better off. I am of the opinion that we should have no political Parties. Simply compete on ideas only.

[randome]

12. Agree completely.

[Politicalboi]

8. If we could get 8 years of Dem rule

And implement a lot of "socialist" policies, and if the public gets to like those policies, let the Repukes come back. I feel the world would be a better place with less men in general. Who commits more crimes, men. Who poaches animals, men. Who start wars, men. Who pollute the world, men. Not all men are bad, but over all the world would be a BETTER place if men weren't in charge.

[RZM]

13. The world would be a better place with less men?

There already are less men than women

[onenote]

9. Would the country be better off without people who deny evolution, climate change, oppose abortion,

oppose same sex marriage, etc etc.

Sure. But how exactly would one propose to get rid of the tens of millions of people who apparently subscribe in whole or in part to those positions?

I think we'd be better off if people didn't waste time speculating about silly ideas like a country "without" the GOP.

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. The system is designed for two major parties

and the two major parties have written laws in 52 states to ensure this. (Realize each state is it's own animal)

So let's assume for a second that the GOP goes the way of the Whigs, I expect it by the way, so I have given some thought to it.

I expect the food fight in the right to lead to the two following results... quite a few would continue to JOIN the Democratic party, accelerating the shift rightward. These historic shifts are common in US History.

Depending on how fast that process goes... either the Libertarians will rise as a new RW party, and the Dems will slow their shift rightward, or they will join the Democratic party, which is NOT FDR's party either... and a new party on the left will rise... or the Dems will slow this, after some messy fights, and shift leftwards, while the Right sees a new party take over.

Realize when the GOP came to be, oh back in the years of Lincoln... IT WAS the progressive party, and both the Whigs and Dems were the CONSERVATIVE parties... It took the 1880s for the business capture of the GOP... and for a generation, until the rise of the Progressive movement, both parties were the parties of business. (It also took the revolt in the streets and the very short 1\3 take over of Congress by the Grangers, who went for Congress since the Presidency was not as strong as it is today)

History can be a guide since we are seeing something similar happening now.

[Meiko]

15. Single party rule

is not a sound idea although it may look good on paper. I want some choices when it comes to politics. We need two parties to keep things in balance. IMHO.

[brooklynite]

16. This is a pointless question...

...because even if the Party didn't exist, there would still be close to half the population with a center-right philosophy and close to a quater of the population with a hard-right philosophy. Someone would form a political party to reflect that philosophy and you'd be back where you started.