where did the "right" lose its way?

[MakeItRain]

Also while we're talking about republican issues, I would like to point out a huge democrat issue.  We're going to have gridlock for two years, Mitch McConnell has already dug his heels in with a statement tonight.  I've talked about how the last 12 year's the democrats have gotten much better with identifying and turning out their base in national elections.  They are going to need to get people to give a damn locally and take the house back.  If Obama has four years of gridlock its going to kill the enthusiasm by the base of the party.  We need to realize the elections every even year are just as if not as more important than the elections every four years.

[Kat Kid]

Here is a winning Republican ticket for me:

Immigration:  Yes.  DREAM Act today, Visas offered on the spot to any college graduate with 3.5+ GPA in Science or Tech, A Master's degree in a high need field and PhD's in any field if they have a private sector sponsor or are willing to take a govt. assingment at a low wage.  They get U.S. citizenship upon completion of a few steps (employed, English, paying taxes or whatever).

Tax Reform:  Reform deductions, lower corporate rates, increase personal, make capital gains progressive or have a floor for small timey investors.

Regulations:  break up big banks Teddy Roosevelt style, work with state gov. to work to improve terrible infrastructure/regulatory environment with carrot/stick of fed funds.  Example:  get rid of restrictions that inhibit the start of small businesses in service industry and lower barriers of entry to fields that do not necessitate regulation-  hair styling, decorating, lawn care, food trucks etc.  Tort reform on intellectual property and medical fields, particularly for smaller businesses/startups, work to limit liability for entrepreneurs.

Social Policy: Legalize regulate pot, gay marriage,

Other domestic policies: push for financial education in schools, reduce taxes on commercial/residential property, increase taxes on unused property that is not designated as part of an environmental land trust, prison reform (part of legalizing pot) lower mandatory min.

Foreign Policy:  offer to keep bases overseas if NATO countries kick in cash, sell army bases, military tech and logistical support to Iraq for exclusive rights to a percentage of oil at a set price going forwad.  Get the hell out of Afghanistan, stop droning the crap out of places.

Environmental:  Cap and Trade

I would go balls to the wall for that.

[MakeItRain]

Here is a winning Republican ticket for me:

Immigration:  Yes.  DREAM Act today, Visas offered on the spot to any college graduate with 3.5+ GPA in Science or Tech, A Master's degree in a high need field and PhD's in any field if they have a private sector sponsor or are willing to take a govt. assingment at a low wage.  They get U.S. citizenship upon completion of a few steps (employed, English, paying taxes or whatever).

Tax Reform:  Reform deductions, lower corporate rates, increase personal, make capital gains progressive or have a floor for small timey investors.

Regulations:  break up big banks Teddy Roosevelt style, work with state gov. to work to improve terrible infrastructure/regulatory environment with carrot/stick of fed funds.  Example:  get rid of restrictions that inhibit the start of small businesses in service industry and lower barriers of entry to fields that do not necessitate regulation-  hair styling, decorating, lawn care, food trucks etc.  Tort reform on intellectual property and medical fields, particularly for smaller businesses/startups, work to limit liability for entrepreneurs.

Social Policy: Legalize regulate pot, gay marriage,

Other domestic policies: push for financial education in schools, reduce taxes on commercial/residential property, increase taxes on unused property that is not designated as part of an environmental land trust, prison reform (part of legalizing pot) lower mandatory min.

Foreign Policy:  offer to keep bases overseas if NATO countries kick in cash, sell army bases, military tech and logistical support to Iraq for exclusive rights to a percentage of oil at a set price going forwad.  Get the hell out of Afghanistan, stop droning the crap out of places.

Environmental:  Cap and Trade

I would go balls to the wall for that.

With the exception of the deregulation of small business that really doesn't resemble any republican's platform though, sounds like a populist independent.

[Kat Kid]

Here is a winning Republican ticket for me:

Immigration:  Yes.  DREAM Act today, Visas offered on the spot to any college graduate with 3.5+ GPA in Science or Tech, A Master's degree in a high need field and PhD's in any field if they have a private sector sponsor or are willing to take a govt. assingment at a low wage.  They get U.S. citizenship upon completion of a few steps (employed, English, paying taxes or whatever).

Tax Reform:  Reform deductions, lower corporate rates, increase personal, make capital gains progressive or have a floor for small timey investors.

Regulations:  break up big banks Teddy Roosevelt style, work with state gov. to work to improve terrible infrastructure/regulatory environment with carrot/stick of fed funds.  Example:  get rid of restrictions that inhibit the start of small businesses in service industry and lower barriers of entry to fields that do not necessitate regulation-  hair styling, decorating, lawn care, food trucks etc.  Tort reform on intellectual property and medical fields, particularly for smaller businesses/startups, work to limit liability for entrepreneurs.

Social Policy: Legalize regulate pot, gay marriage,

Other domestic policies: push for financial education in schools, reduce taxes on commercial/residential property, increase taxes on unused property that is not designated as part of an environmental land trust, prison reform (part of legalizing pot) lower mandatory min.

Foreign Policy:  offer to keep bases overseas if NATO countries kick in cash, sell army bases, military tech and logistical support to Iraq for exclusive rights to a percentage of oil at a set price going forwad.  Get the hell out of Afghanistan, stop droning the crap out of places.

Environmental:  Cap and Trade

I would go balls to the wall for that.

With the exception of the deregulation of small business that really doesn't resemble any republican's platform though, sounds like a populist independent.

Well no crap, but it isn't populist at all.  I mean I get the "big banks" rhetoric might strike you as such, but really it isn't.

[felix rex]

someone should run on the platform of "not pandering to the crazies" and then just get smoked in the KS primaries but make a pretty hilarious point in doing so.

This would be a great hobby when I retire to the ranch.

[sys]

Here is a winning Republican ticket for me:

Immigration:  Yes.  DREAM Act today, Visas offered on the spot to any college graduate with 3.5+ GPA in Science or Tech, A Master's degree in a high need field and PhD's in any field if they have a private sector sponsor or are willing to take a govt. assignment at a low wage.  They get U.S. citizenship upon completion of a few steps (employed, English, paying taxes or whatever). + easy to get student visas, easy to get (or waived) tourist visas and easy to get, non-employer sponsored, long-term work visas or free movement of labor within nafta countries; eliminate the ridic. expense defending southern border, eliminate or drastically reduce visa fees, draconian penalties for employers of undocumented workers.

Tax Reform:  Reform deductions, eliminate corporate rates, decrease or eliminate personal, institute national, progressively adjusted vat, make capital gains progressive or have a floor for small timey investors.

Regulations:  break up big banks Teddy Roosevelt style, work with state gov. to work to improve terrible infrastructure/regulatory environment with carrot/stick of fed funds.  Example:  get rid of restrictions that inhibit the start of small businesses in service industry and lower barriers of entry to fields that do not necessitate regulation-  hair styling, decorating, lawn care, food trucks etc.  Tort reform on intellectual property and medical fields, particularly for smaller businesses/startups, work to limit liability for entrepreneurs.

Social Policy: Legalize jus' about everything, fire lots and lots of cops.

Other domestic policies: push for financial education in schools, reduce taxes on commercial/residential property, decrease taxes on unused property, prison reform (part of legalizing pot) no mandatory min.

Foreign Policy:  offer to keep bases overseas if NATO countries kick in cash, sell army bases, military tech and logistical support to Iraq for exclusive rights to a percentage of oil at a set price going forward.  Get the hell out of Afghanistan, stop droning the crap out of places.

Environmental:  carbon tax, incentivize zero pop growth

I would go balls to the wall for that.

[sonofdaxjones]

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/why-conservatives-hate-war/

Sadly both side in this last election were going to give us nothing but more war:

http://news.antiwar.com/2012/11/06/warfare-state-wins-reelection-along-with-obama/

US foreign policy, though, would have stayed the same regardless of which candidate won the election. Romney offered no alternative to Executive-ordered war without congressional approval; no alternative to an expanding and illegal drone war; no alternative to a federal government that spends upwards of $11 billion just keeping secrets from the American public; no alternative to sanctioning Iran for a nuclear weapons program US intelligence admits Tehran doesn’t have; no alternative to the warfare-welfare-corporatist state.

[steve dave]

Great addition to the conversation dax

[Stupid Fitz]

Maybe has been said, but repub party should be pretty embarrassed even more today. This should have been a cake walk for a clean sweep. 2 crazy people gave up easy wins because they are crazy people and the nominee and his VP pick couldn't even pull in their own states. (I know their states are traditionally dem but still)

[Cire]

The republican party is a complete mess a evidenced by the bag of skin that was on fox last night speaking from her home in Alaska.

[Saulbadguy]

Running on their current platform, they have no chance in 16, 20, etc...

They have to make drastic changes.

[Pete]

Running on their current platform, they have no chance in 16, 20, etc...

They have to make drastic changes.

Ya, it's going to be a hoot to watch the Tea Party types go bat crap over those changes.   

[Cire]

Running on their current platform, they have no chance in 16, 20, etc...

They have to make drastic changes.

Ya, it's going to be a hoot to watch the Tea Party types go bat crap over those changes.   

Both parties are going to need to quit being lazy and pay attention to the local scenes then because the tea partiers can create a lot of problems locally and in primaries.  And they won't GAF if it hurts the winning candidate in the long run.

[Pete]

Running on their current platform, they have no chance in 16, 20, etc...

They have to make drastic changes.

Ya, it's going to be a hoot to watch the Tea Party types go bat crap over those changes.   

Both parties are going to need to quit being lazy and pay attention to the local scenes then because the tea partiers can create a lot of problems locally and in primaries.  And they won't GAF if it hurts the winning candidate in the long run.

Within the next three years, I expect to be living someplace where I don't have to worry about those knuckleheads at MY local level.

[steve dave]

Running on their current platform, they have no chance in 16, 20, etc...

They have to make drastic changes.

Ya, it's going to be a hoot to watch the Tea Party types go bat crap over those changes.   

Both parties are going to need to quit being lazy and pay attention to the local scenes then because the tea partiers can create a lot of problems locally and in primaries.  And they won't GAF if it hurts the winning candidate in the long run.

Within the next three years, I expect to be living someplace where I don't have to worry about those knuckleheads at MY local level.

we'll be celebrating with fresh vermont maple syrup on our eggos Pete!

[sonofdaxjones]

Yes it was a great contribution to the conversation SD, thanks.

If true conservatives would stand up, and discuss extracting the United States from this morass of foreign entanglements that we're in today, and lay out what it costs this county every single year in lives and money . . . and then educate all these fake conservatives running around about what true conservatism is.   Then the Republican Party could likely emerge victorious.   

Sadly though, there are so many in the Republican party who have the mindset that Obama is actually "weak" when it comes to fighting entities like Al-CIAda . . . when in reality Obama is every beat the war monger, hegemonist and pepetuator of "Neo-Con" tendencies as his predecessor, even more so on some levels.   

Again, it's laughable to me when I think back to 2008 and all the Obamabots out there who actually believed there was going to be a paradigm shift in terms of the perpetual war that this country was engaged in . . . but that goes back to Obama being the greatest bait and switch/carrot and stick President in modern Presidential history.

[Rage Against the McKee]

Running on their current platform, they have no chance in 16, 20, etc...

They have to make drastic changes.

Ya, it's going to be a hoot to watch the Tea Party types go bat crap over those changes.   

Both parties are going to need to quit being lazy and pay attention to the local scenes then because the tea partiers can create a lot of problems locally and in primaries.  And they won't GAF if it hurts the winning candidate in the long run.

The tea party has most of rural America only a few election cycles away from being completely dependent on the federal government.

["storm"nut]

I like the way MIR is thinking. Republican's have been hijacked by the church nuts. They let them in to win but now they have let them run amok. We forgot that we need to push for small government for all things, not just for the economy and taxes. Small government also includes not regulating marriage, not regulating weed, not regulating peoples values. W Bush brought these damn church nuts into the fold to win in 2000 and 2004, time to kick them out.

[Rage Against the McKee]

I like the way MIR is thinking. Republican's have been hijacked by the church nuts. They let them in to win but now they have let them run amok. We forgot that we need to push for small government for all things, not just for the economy and taxes. Small government also includes not regulating marriage, not regulating weed, not regulating peoples values. W Bush brought these damn church nuts into the fold to win in 2000 and 2004, time to kick them out.

Add the war on immigration, and

["storm"nut]

I like the way MIR is thinking. Republican's have been hijacked by the church nuts. They let them in to win but now they have let them run amok. We forgot that we need to push for small government for all things, not just for the economy and taxes. Small government also includes not regulating marriage, not regulating weed, not regulating peoples values. W Bush brought these damn church nuts into the fold to win in 2000 and 2004, time to kick them out.

Add the war on immigration, and

Yea that one needs a mix approach. We need to secure the borders first. Make sure that people can come into the country legally and work there way to becoming a citizen. I don't believe in amnesty for those already here but we should not kick them out and we should work to help those people become legal citizens.

[Rage Against the McKee]

I like the way MIR is thinking. Republican's have been hijacked by the church nuts. They let them in to win but now they have let them run amok. We forgot that we need to push for small government for all things, not just for the economy and taxes. Small government also includes not regulating marriage, not regulating weed, not regulating peoples values. W Bush brought these damn church nuts into the fold to win in 2000 and 2004, time to kick them out.

Add the war on immigration, and

Yea that one needs a mix approach. We need to secure the borders first. Make sure that people can come into the country legally and work there way to becoming a citizen. I don't believe in amnesty for those already here but we should not kick them out and we should work to help those people become legal citizens.

There is absolutely no way under the current rules and laws that these people will ever become legal citizens. It's not just a matter of waiting your place in line.

[sonofdaxjones]

But the borders must be secured.

The laughable irony . . . we'll pump Hellfire Missiles into Mudhuts housing "suspected terrorists"  (supposedly) 1000's of miles away.   But we won't secure our own border.

[Stupid Fitz]

You would think they would finally realize there aren't enough far right crazies to win an election anymore and they need to get rid of the religious freakos. However, they are dumbasses and any moment now they are going to announce that they are going to go back to "true conservative values" and yada yada.

["storm"nut]

I like the way MIR is thinking. Republican's have been hijacked by the church nuts. They let them in to win but now they have let them run amok. We forgot that we need to push for small government for all things, not just for the economy and taxes. Small government also includes not regulating marriage, not regulating weed, not regulating peoples values. W Bush brought these damn church nuts into the fold to win in 2000 and 2004, time to kick them out.

Add the war on immigration, and

Yea that one needs a mix approach. We need to secure the borders first. Make sure that people can come into the country legally and work there way to becoming a citizen. I don't believe in amnesty for those already here but we should not kick them out and we should work to help those people become legal citizens.

There is absolutely no way under the current rules and laws that these people will ever become legal citizens. It's not just a matter of waiting your place in line.

I guess I should say it like this. I believe they should become legal citizens (they should want to vote, right) but those that don't should also not have to live in the shadows and worry about being thrown out but we can't just tell them it is okay to work, undercut labor for hard working citizens (get paid less than minimum wage and not have to file taxes). They might as well be slave labor at that rate, and that is wrong.

[MakeItRain]

The republican party is a complete mess a evidenced by the bag of skin that was on fox last night speaking from her home in Alaska.

what happened to this lady?  She's supposedly writing a dietary cookbook BTW.