Would this country be better or worse off 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.