That may have been true in the last century, but I think you fail to grasp the overwhelming shift in the new generation away from that kind of capitalism.

We'll see I guess.

The GOP has not gotten over the notion that Race Baiting will no longer win elections. Age has little to do with winning elections, attitude does. When you have fellows like Puss Limbaugh and Newt Head Gingrich leading the parade name calling and telling and retelling lies that can be looked up on the internet, you begin to doubt the sanity of the GOP.

You can be old and cool, but these guys would be uncool at any age. Moreover, they are against everything and stand for nothing but destroying what America has managed to build up since WWII.

They are hateful and mean-spirted masogynist who use women, like Palin in an effort to keep failed policies going. They are hypocrits who went after Clinton like a lynch mob, while they themselve engage in more than light flirtations.

The GOP does not have one viable candidate, so they try to tear down every effort Obama makes to rebuild what they and George W. Bush threw away: Our future.

They came from the Whigs and they should go back to the Whigs: Ashes to ashes--dust to dust. But not soon enough.

Mr. Greener suggests that to correct its current ills, the Republican party should focus on spreading "basic Republican principles." I have a better suggestion, Mr. Greener: perhaps the Republican Party should first attempt to get, and then practice, some principles in the first place.

Yes, yes, the Republican party has principles. It talks about them all the time, in fact. But, so far as this young (18-30), and now probably continuing Democratic voter can see, it has none in fact. Your party talks a good talk about moral principals, doing the right thing, faith in God, family ethics, and moral virtue. Meanwhile, your party's leading lights are out trampling the very virtues they profess to hold dearest. See i.e., Newt Gingrich, Mark Sanford, Chip Pickering; among a long list of others.

Republicans espouse - and virtually trademark - principles such as a patriotism, 'nation first,' a fair opportunity (although not outcome) for all, and fiscal restraint. John McCain recently bemoaned the passing of 'another check to our grandchildren.' Meanwhile, Republicans have presided over two massive tax cuts to the wealthiest portions of society, while overseeing massive budget deficits under every Republican President of the past thirty years. For all their talk about "strong nation," and past leaders, Republican foreign policy over the past 20 years appears to have devolved to "we have the biggest guns - do what we say, or else." So much for Teddy's admonition to "walk softly..."

The Republican party talks about small government - which seems to apply only to guns and taxes. So long as the question is medical (abortion), private (homosexual conduct or marriage), among others, well, regulation and prohibition is all the rage.

Lastly, there is no question that we are confronted today by serious problems and threats, many of which are structural and institutional in nature (health care, etc.). And yet, while there are many different opinions about how to fix them, Republican Senators proudly crow that "if this can be stopped, it will be Obama's Waterloo." Principled stand, or naked politicking? - How do you think I see it?

I believe it to be in our national interest to have a strong, viable opposition party. I don't have any authoritative answers to the serious questions facing us, but I can smell hypocrisy a mile away - and I don't like it. If the Republican party seriously hopes to regain any electoral sway - particularly with my generation - it would do well to find some reasonable, humanly-obtainable principles, and then put them into actual practice.

Well that's a novel idea. In order to win a US election you have to flood the country with foreigners, and persuade the deadbeats to wake up and vote. What an idea. Much easier than persuading the productive patriots to go vote.

Are non-hyphenated Americans the enemy of the Democratic party then?

Bullshit.

The Bush administration publicly acknowleged that it broke the letter of the law on FISA. Stop lying, son!

based on stupid assumptions.

I am a southern white woman, a demographic I am sure the author would consider one theirs, but I have very rarely voted for a Republican. Of course, we were all Democrats until about 1980 or so but since then Republican politics have been so nasty and their lack of concern for the most vulnerable citizens so blatant that I cannot imagine casting a vote for them. After the fiasco of the Bush administration I find it amazing that they can actually face themselves in the mirror.

WASHINGTON (AP) — For all the attention generated by President Obama's candidacy, the share of eligible voters who actually cast ballots in November declined for the first time in a dozen years. The reason: Older whites with little interest in backing either Barack Obama or Republican Sen. John McCain stayed home.

Census figures released Monday show about 63.6% of eligible U.S. voters, or 131.1 million people, voted last November.

Although that represented an increase of 5 million voters — virtually all of them minorities — the turnout relative to the population of eligible voters was a decrease from 63.8% in 2004.

Ohio and Pennsylvania were among those showing declines in white voters, helping Obama carry those battleground states.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-07-20-vote_N.htm?csp=34

If I were not already married I drag you to Seattle to marry me. :)

I have missed you. Glad you are back. :)

I don't think that the diversity is something the GOP values as part of the party's base. Until it does, the Democrats will continue to win local, state and federal elections where a cross-section of voters cast their ballots. It isn't always in my opinion that the Democrats are the better party, but the lesser of two evils.