So here we are all wondering how to fix the country and get it back on track. We all want more or less the same simple things.

1. Our freedoms, all of them not just those currently popular.

2. A fair shake, equal access to employment, justice and education. This means NO racism as policy, hate crime laws, affirmative action, etc.

3. To pay for our own stuff and nothing more. We generally feel our tax dollars should only be spent on things we ALL use such as roads, infastructure, etc. When we are kinda broke we don't care about art or other peoples hungry kids.

4. Limited government. We only need people doing important jobs. Everyone else can get a real job like us.

So how do we make the above, or your own variation of the above, a reality?

The Libertarian Party most closely resembles the above platform but they haven't won a election since.....well uh...they haven't won a election except on local levels where it don't make much of a difference. And if too many people vote Libertarian the worst of the other two may win.

The Democratic Party professes to be for the common man. Problem with them is they defend the first amendment for some and not others. Gay Photos for the NEA, sure. A progun exhibit, no way. Also they tend to run way to Socialist/Communist these days. Democrats equal huge taxes. You may be a single male, but you will be paying for a single teen mother day care center when they are in charge.

Bottom line is the Democartic Party has way too many problems to bring around. Even if we could get a Pro Gun Democratic Party there would still be too much working against us. It is mostly a lost cause.

The Republican Party says most of the things we want to hear. But just like the Democrats, they really couldn't give a crap about the little guy. They claim to want to scale back govvernment but ain't done it yet. BUT, they are less of a threat to our freedoms.

So what makes ordinary people fear Republicans and become Democrats? Mostly it is perception. The Democrats have done a good job portraying themselves as free and less repressive. Most people, especially the young, are tired of having things like sexuality repressed. This is why Liberals cheered Clintons blowjob scandal without considering the ramifications.

How can the Republicans win? First they need to stop trying to legislate morality. That is the job of parents, not laws. And more importantly you cannot make a bad person good with laws. No matter what law you pass, some 14 year old will get pregnant and go on Jerry Springer to brag about it.

They need to take religion out of the Republican platform. This creates more Democrats than probably any other factor. I don't mean we need to pry the ten commandments off of 100 year old government monuments, but we don't need Pat Robertson running for President or Jerry Falwell speaking at the conventions. Freedom of religion is a protected part of the first amendment but should not be official government policy. The faithful will still vote Republican and the Republicans will still protect their rights to believe as they choose. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, non Christians will feel comfortable voting Republican.

Those who are just like us are already Republican. What we need to do is what the Democrats did. Make the party more inviting to non Republicans. Then with a strong control of government and broader representation, we just might save this country.

(In my best Ed McMahon to Johnny Carson voice)You are correct, sir!

too late, I'm already disgusted with the Republican party. What's with the new steel tariff? Didn't Bush push for free trade earlier? This is the kind of stuff that lends credit to the Republican party's image as the party of big business. (They really like welfare, just the corporate kind) While I doubt I'd ever vote democrat, I'm not that likely to vote republican either. Bush is an opportunist a**hole, he's using the war on terrorism and taking advantage of the wave of patriotism. Also something very disturbing about the Republican party, they are usually very pro-military. I don't mean to bash the soldiers, but I don't like the military as an institution because they waste billions of tax payer dollars on who knows what and there's too much politics involved in acquisitions decisions. I agree with the complaint about the legislation of morality, what really turn me against the republicans is stuff like proposed mandatory draft bill. Personally I think the Republicans don't necessarily want a big government, just an authoritarian one.

I maybe kind of off topic here, but when I read the title of this post, my 'see a lot of conspiracies' bent began to get the best of me.
I began to think of the ways very senior level government 'employees' would use to keep their jobs. I am speaking of the (mostly) nameless and faceless behind the scenes high level bureaucrats. Most of these people are beyond traditional oversight and stay in office and in power in spite of which party is elected to the White House and which party controls the House or Senate.
One obvious example of this person is J. Edgar Hoover. As the Director of the FBI he was able to shape domestic policy and through character assassinations and intimidation he may have shaped foreign policy also. At the very least he would have been able to see his personal agenda become US policy.
If the existence of one such government official is accepted, then reason would suggest that as the Federal Government has grown so would the number of these officials. Officials that will abuse the power we gave them to further their own agendas. The ultimate agenda is to protect their own jobs and power bases.

OK, I know that it is alot to digest, but if you agree that the premise is possible, then it is not a long leap of imagination that some of these nameless officials hold office in the two national parties. Remember that they first want to protect their own jobs and power. What better way to allow for a maintained growth of the Federal Government, than to 'cooperate' to keep out any third party that would decrease the size of the Fedral Government? Maybe Ross Perot was not as crazy as everyone thought. Maybe, just maybe enough powerful officials became nervous that he may actually win and effectively took him out with all of the crazy stuff.

Like I said, my bent towards conspiracies running wild. But it seems possible, people will do some strange things when you combine power and money.

Politicians lie, cheat, and steal for a living.
That is the problem.

Styer you must think of these topics while in the shower in the morning. Very well thought out. However, your preaching to the wrong crowd. Better question is where can we all go and post these topics on a Commie Board. This topic and "Us Fellow Political Types" could make a big impact or at least make those Diet Coke Commies think for once; that is if could get over being emotionaly spazed out.

As a native New Yorker I've com eto the slow and painful realization that MANY Republicans are a bunch of gutless wonders or outright lying weasels!  I voted for Reagan when I was 18 and kept voting Republican for the most part.  We have a Governor named George Pataki who outright lied to the gun owners in NY when he campaigned the first time.  Shortly after being elected he propsed the most draconian gun laws in the country.  He got some of what he wanted because some Republican State Senators got a lot of heatr from us.  But he tried to f*ck us outright!  I can't wait to return that favor the next time I get into the voting booth!

Then we've got this new gutless wonder in the White House.  He campaigned of a platform of a few things which were not negotiable:  School choice-vouchers,  opposing the currrently proposed campaign finance laws( aka anti-first amendment legislation), free trade, pro 2nd amendment just to name a few.

He refused to fight for eductaion reform in the way of school choice and then gave "his good friend" Teddy (the swimmer) Kennedy almost everything Teddy wanted.  Teddy and those scumbag Democrats then launched a campaign of lied and deceit about his nominee to the 5th circuit court of appeals Judge Pickering.  They destroyed this man's reputation publicly and killed the appointment in committee!  

When will this moron realize he's dealing with jackals and savages?  He wants to be liked and to get along with these scumbags?

Then there's the steel tariff.  So much for free trade.

Now he's going to sign a bill that is blatantly UNCONSTITUTIONAL hoping that the Supreme court will sort it all out later on.  Someone please look up this man's skirt and see if he's got a pair of balls, huh?

What next?  If a majority of ignorant people in this country FEEL that more gun laws are needed what will GW Do?  Judging by his track record so far he will fold like a cheap camera and sign onto such proposed legislation.

And then there's obviously no desire with the current administration or attorney general to get to the bottom of all the corruption of the scumbag Clintons and their band of liars and thieves.  Just move on and brush it all under the rug, huh George?

And how about real immigration reform and border security?  I guess right about now GW is doing "The Monica" for Presidente Vicente Fox!

We need a leader and not a pussy!

               John F. (Long Island, NY)

I hear that!

Just some random thoughts touching on topics already covered:

RELIGION - Republican association with the Jerry Falwell types cause far more harm to conservative causes than good. Alienation of a large segment of the voting public is not good.
Let me be brutal for a moment.  Who are the followers of the Falwells going to vote for ?  The next Bill Clinton ?  I don't think so. We almost by default have those voters.

ABORTION - (It matters not what my personal feelings are on this subject as SteyrAug has posed this topic to come up with ideas on how to elect Republicans.)
The Republican Party should quietly abandon attempts to make all abortions illegal in favor of concentration on the elimination of 'partial-birth' abortions.  Here I'm thinking a large number of voters either now believe or can be made to believe that 'partial-birth' abortions are murder.

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION - An insult to every man or woman who ever clawed themselves up and out of the ghetto and climbed the slippery ladder of success.
Move to make discrimination of any sort a Federal Crime and criminal at that !  (And yes I know I'm proposing new laws.)  Now this is not likely to happen but much good could come from simply campaigning on this issue.

BIG BUSINESS and REPUBLICANS - The Dimocrats always have a field day with this one.  Actually big business plays both sides of the political fence.  It is my opinion that today big business probably slightly tilts Dimocrat.  Republicans do a genuinely shitty job of explaining this fact.

BIG BUSINESS and JOB CREATION - Basically big business is contracting their numbers of employees.  They ain't creating new jobs.

SMALL BUSINESS and the REPUBLICANS - Virtually all the new job creation is done by small business.  The Republicans should solidly align themselves as the 'friend' of small business due to the fact that small business is the segment creating new jobs.
Tax cuts and tax laws should be made to DIRECT more investment capital to small business.

THE RICH PAY NO TAXES - Here the Republican's do a job so sorry that I have no adequate words.  In fact, rich individuals pay a huge % of the individual taxes paid.  I saw Hannity one night on FOX completely shut-down a liberal Dimocrat on this subject when Hannity quoted the percentage of taxes paid by the wealthy.  The Dimocrat actually said in a very small voice "Maybe they need a tax cut !!"