Are Republicans In For Another Rude Awakening in 2016

One of our regulars, E.A. Blair, responds to this line from my Thanksgiving post.

“…you can rest assured that there will never be a President Bachmann, Perry, Santorum or Romney.”

E.A. writes:

Don’t make any bets on that. With the exception of Jimmy Carter and Al Gore, most Democratic politicians who retire or bow to defeat fade quietly into the background.

Not so for Republicans. With the exception of The Shrub, nearly every Republican who has run for office in the last fifty years had suffered ignominious defeat before being nominated.

Think Nixon – humiliated as VP, defeated in 1960, elected in 1968.

Think Reagan – defeated in 1976, elected in 1980.

Think Bush I – defeated in 1980, career resurrected by becoming a running mate.

Think Bob Dole – Running mate in 1976, nominee in 1996, the only politician to have been his party’s nominee for both President and Vice President without being elected to either office.

Think McCain – Soundly thumped by The Shrub in 2000, nominated in 2008.

Think Romney – Defeated in 2008 primaries, nominated in 2012.

Republicans have this sense of entitlement, that if they run for office enough times it eventually becomes “their turn”. I don’t think even the most blatant abuser of federal aid felt more entitlement than Romney felt in the past election. It was his turn, the White House was meant for him, it should have been his! It WAS his! My Precious! My Precious!.

Until the Republican primaries for the 2012 election began oh, so long ago, I’d have thought that I’d seen the last of Gingrich or Santorum, the one disgraced and both losers. As long as Fux News is around, Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee and Karl Rove all have a place to bark from. McCain’s bitterness is showing up like a bad aftertaste of spoiled cranberry sauce. Like Freddie and Jason, Republican politicians never stay down – they just keep coming back over and over and over ad nauseam.

I really don’t think that there’ll be a President Bachmann, Perry or Willard Mitt Romney either, but the Republicans do have a habit of re-animating their dead – they may be down, but they’re seldom out..  Some of them may run again, but they’ll never win.  On the other hand, there’s a whole new generation of Republicans who will be coming back again and again and again.  Ryan will take over for Romney, and there’s Jindal, Rubio and don’t forget Jeb and George S. Bush who just filed intent to run for something-or-other in Texas.  Romney has five sons who may feel it necessary to avenge their father’s defeat by taking it out on the American middle class.

In the meantime we must not let them get the Precious!

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E.A. makes a good point and I pretty much agree with all he wrote. I will add this though; unless Republicans seriously modify their agenda or, in lieu of that, someone like a Chris Christie or Jeb Bush successfully masks Republican’s true agenda, I don’t see the GOP winning a presidential election in the foreseeable future…or ever.

Different times are upon us and changing demographics do not favor TeaPartyism’s twisted view of America. A majority of women will simply not vote for a political party who deals with their health issues as if 51 percent of the population were little more than 19th century chattel. Nor will Hispanics and other minorities cast a majority vote for a party they rightly view as a white man’s country club.

Political Darwinism dictates that political parties either adapt and evolve in step with their changing environment or face extinction. If Republicans didn’t get the message this time around, then they’re in for another rude awakening in 2016 – regardless of who they decide to run against Hillary.

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