The GOP is a party of ideas, all bad.

Actually, conservatives are ideologically prevented from having any new ideas. Their ideology says that government can (or should) do nothing to help citizens other than get out of the way. There cannot be such a thing as a good, new government program, since the only proper role of government is to enforce property rights.

So conservatives can innovate in ways to sell their ideas, but there really can't be any innovations in the ideas themselves.

The Republican Party has basically ONE idea: to use the power of government for corrupt purposes of private financial gain for their ultra-rich, white-collar-crook, war-profiteer, mega-polluter corporate cronies and financial backers, at the expense of, and to the detriment of, everyone else.

That has been their only "idea" for a long time. Of course if they ran for office on that agenda, they would never win any elections anywhere, so they have to lie about it.

What they have run out of is not ideas, but lies with which to bamboozle the public into voting for them.

Out of Ideas?

Not surprising since their "philosophy" rejects evolution and to get new ideas one has to evolve -- i.e. change, think, compare, judge, research, etc etc etc.

What's striking to me is that the GOP is very likely to lose more Senate seats in the 2010 elections - Cornyn said it himself this morning. They see more failure on the horizon, yet they keep running with the same idiot policies, and the same repulsive and widely hated personalities. Should we be thinking of the GOP as a valid political party anymore? Even if Obama runs into serious trouble on the economic or foreign policy fronts over the next 18 months, are voters going to look to GOP politicians as a viable alternative? I doubt it. The GOP as a brand is toxic waste.

Gingrich, Rove, and Cheney? Aren't you forgetting Boehner? Now, there's a brainiac.

They had some ideas, and they had plenty of opportunity to implement all of them with their "permanent Republican majority" but instead they chose to enable a bunch of thugs to loot the country. They don't have an idea problem as much as they have a credibility problem. Most of us will never trust them again because they so violated the public trust when they had a chance to exploit their power. I could be wrong but I think they have a permanently damaged image that will probably not recover for decades.

The old faces are truly awful, but one could make a good argument that the new faces are actually worse--Palin? Jindal? Maybe Romney isn't a complete idiot, but he repeats the same talking points, so what's the difference? Who else? Mark Sanford, the Hooverite?
They keep waiting for another Reagan like the second coming of Christ, but there simply isn't anyone out there.

I'm convinced more each day that if the economic stimulus packages signed by Obama even marginally improves things for the average Americans, the GOP will lose seats in both the House and Senate.

The two basic elements of conservatism (libertarian-all-hands-off-us vs. the power-obsessed-rich-right-all-hands-on-US) I think are essentially being split apart in the GOP currently. One side has no ideas and complains; vs. the other which has all bad ideas.

Unless they can find some issue to distract to the point of derailng the Obama Administration's overall agenda; to allow someone to unite those two factions, the situation on the Right will continue to get dire.

This where my concern comes from. That many of the radical Right will become so disillusioned that they will take up arms and become militant and violent.

David Neiwert (http://orcinus.blogspot.com) does a great job in tracking this, and has for some time.

The political world has been waiting for a while to see the GOP become "a serious party with serious ideas"

Developing an alternative budget without any numbers is a serious accomplishment that will be hard for the Democrats to match.

Indeed, they're stuck with Cheney, Rove, and Gingrich as their leading voices. How's that working out?...

Steve... dude, what about Mr. Anal poisoning himself, Lush Shrimpballs?

What Daryl said.

When tax cuts are the only cure for every ailment, you've kind of painted yourself into a box. Chimps could run for Congress and do as much good for the country. All they need to remember is "tax cuts!" That's why Cantor/Boehner can "lead" the Republican party. If you got into middle school, you're smart enough to lead the country cuz there's no much to know.

"the Republican Party is now less popular among Americans than countries like Venezuela and China"

Our domestic Republican party has had quality-control problems. It makes sense that Americans would be receptive to the more reliable Chinese Republican party.

Courtesy tweet please...

...when I'll take the GOP seriously again and why I've stopped writing about ticky-tak political gamesmanship and GOP consultant tricks. When they're a serious party with serious ideas, then we can talk.

Exactly.

But even more poisonous: What Limbaugh and Hannity and Beck have to say is foofaraw. They should be ignored. Should one feel compelled to give them the respect of a response, my suggestion is one should do it as a "tweet from the toilet."

SecularAnimal hit the nail on the head:

The Republican Party has basically ONE idea... What they have run out of is not ideas, but lies with which to bamboozle the public into voting for them.

The GOP is desperately searching for a fresh way to market their same old crap, but their focus group testing is coming up dry. The proof of their desperation is that, as mentioned recently, they've resorted to labeling Obama a "fascist".

The proof of their desperation is that, as mentioned recently, they've resorted to labeling Obama a "fascist".

And also a flip-flopper. Just a few weeks ago, he was a socialist. During the last year or so, Obama has been everything except a card-carrying Republican.

Oh the sin of omission is often the worst.

Indeed, they're stuck with Cheney, Rove, and Gingrich as their leading voices.

Where's Rush in that list? ...

I'm just glad knowing that you will hold true and not apologize to Lord Rush.

"Cheney, Rove, and Gingrich"

"... as their leading voices."

You left out Rush! The Leader of the Republican Party, and a jealous God!

Now apologize.

Republicans are counting on Barry, Nan, Geithner, Summers, et.al., to bring them back to power as an agent of change.