The Republican Party should consider this strategy for getting Democrats to switch sides:


There are a lot of Democrats who are dissatisfied with their party, but won't switch for one single reason, and that reason is:

The abortion issue.

Yeah, it's a touchy subject.  But hear me out, I'm not out to change your mind no matter which way hou think on this.  

If the Republican party moderated its formal party line to neutral or pro-choice,  either way leaving the 'no abortion' stance that has been perhaps the most divisive single issue in interparty politics in the last 50 years, then some of those disaffected Democrats would switch parties.  Perhaps enough to really make a difference.   Maybe give the Republicans a 60-40 lead, for all I know.

If the Republicans did this,  it's doubtful that they'd lose many members to the dark side, because only the Republican party has an anti-abortion platform anyway.  Those who would be tweaked over the platform change wouldn't have another party to go to that is against abortion rights, so losses to the party would be very few. No point in leaving the only game in town.


I want your opinions, and I'll post a poll, too.

Do you think this strategy would work?

Would you support it?


CJ


Oh, crap.  Would you believe I actually mis-voted on my own damned poll???

Maybe it means I should go to bed now at 1:15 AM!

You have really opened a can of worms brother[:)]

Lucky you chose to put this up right before the server gets shut down for two days.

Yes, the Democratic party would not exist as we know it if the Republicans abandoned the anti-abortion platform. That has been the sole cause of their difficulty for the last decade. There never would have been a Bill Clinton without it.

No, you don't change your core values in order to get more people to join your team.  

This is what I have been cautioning about in a few other threads.  

Now that the republicans feel they have a mandate, and the dems seem to be taking a hard left, watch for softening of traditional republican core values in order to co-opt more middle of the road democrats.  

We'll be left with a watered down party not that much different from the dems of 20 years ago (this has largely already occurred in some respects).  In other words, we have a party of left leaning "republicans" and party of socialist/communist "democrats."  

Since we are stuck with the two party system (and I can't see any other party, save for one with a highly charismatic head with a shot at the White House) I'd just as soon not have my only choices be liberal and ultra-liberal.  

Watch out conservatives, the attack has begun.  

Well, since you mentioned it...


My personal view is that the abortion issue should be no more a legal issue than whether or not you masturbate or how many sex partners you prefer to have at one time.

It should NOT be a political issue, period.  I would welcome it if BOTH parties formally adopted a neutral or 'no comment' stance on the issue and let each person make up his or her own mind about it and handle it from there.

I believe absolutely that the affairs relating to your own body are not the government's business, period.  That includes reproductive affairs.

You may note that you can't even say for sure if I'm for or against abortion rights by this stance I'm taking.  That's why I think it's a damned good one.  It doesn't dictate to anybody or even pretend to.

The governing body that tries to govern YOUR body is going too far! [:(!]

CJ

#2 & #4.

I should mention that I wasn't really speaking of the abortion issue [i]per se.[/i]

Just that the party needs to be guarded about changing its views to fill the gap left by a hard left dem swing.  

I'm not entirely certain abortion is a legitimate political issue--but that it certainly touches your relationship with God.

Gee, let's drop our opposition to the AWB and we could really rack up some members from the DEMOS!

Eric The(Facetious)Hun[>]:)]

RANT MODE ON:

Whatever happened to the men who knew who the hell they were... Where did they go??

I STAND FOR THIS. REASON
I STAND FOR THIS. REASON
I STAND FOR THIS. REASON

But hey...

Look at it this way. If the government as a whole was a singular human being just one, then that person would be locked up in a funny farm for multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, and delusion...

Democracy has the strange effect of giving every single interested party each thing that it wants even if those wants and aims are diametrically oppossed with/to reason,physical laws, or financial responsibility.


Its nuts... I would not hold public office in this day and age to save my life..

The money the government spends (with the exception of its basic functioning and maintenance and the LAW ENFORCEMENT and MILITARY) is nothing but a salve to quite the "pains". All you have to do is say ouch and follow the written procedure.


Sorry but that is my .02 cents.    

During the May 3rd Tornado, FEMA set up shop giving money away to build SAFE ROOMS,  A brick enclosure inside your home. It was all free. All you had to do was say , "I would like money for mediation!" ?? BINGO WALLAH, DOE FORKED OVER. And everyone was doing this... for the life of me , some of those were wealthy//WTF????