The Republicans' problem goes much deeper than just the need for a single personality to emerge that has the leadership skills, political saavy and governing ability to bring their party back to viability.
A disastrous Obama administration would help, however, Americans would likely be fed up after four more years of gridlock, and back-stepping. Any president with an intuition knows by now that, to succeed, and have a second term, unemployment must remain under 6%, 401(k)'s must have had a healthy, sustainable growth, and everyday burdensome costs - from taxes to utilities to gas prices to food prices - must be affordable and kept within a modest budget.
On the other hand, and by my previous statement, I in no way wish ill will on Obama's presidency - quite the opposite. Knowing there's no quick fix to our current ills, if he surrounds himself with competent, quality people I do believe he can improve the myriad of problems facing us. He also needs to find a way to "bridge the divide" separating the two parties, something GWB pledged, but, after the 2000 election debacle, had no real chance of accomplishing.
The Republicans' problems are many. Like it or not, the religious folks attempted, and succeeded, at building their strongest coalition, however, at the same time alienating the fiscal Conservatives and social moderates, who were (and are) more focused on growing the economy than sideline issues like gay marriage and flag burning. I would think many of those factions within what's normally the Republican party probably jumped ship in this election, blindly pulling the lever for Obama, crossing their fingers that they're doing the right thing for a largely unproven and untested candidate.
Another problem with the Republicans is that they have allowed GWB to run amuck in government largesse, and in the recent election season tried to find the appropriate middle ground to avoid associating with him while attempting to hold on to traditional Conservative principles. Even in the waning days of the election season, the federal bailout provided horror story after horror story of bailout recipients using taxpayer funds to take elaborate, luxurious business trips and pay bonuses to executives who brought their companies to insolvency in the first place. Regardless of the facts, this was a direct reflection of Bush policies, the good-ole-boy network, and raw greed. Voters (taxpayers) felt as if they needed a hot shower to cleanse themselves of the last eight years.
This will not be easy to overcome. Howard Dean and the Democrats spent the last four years painting the Republicans as exactly what I have just described, and Bush and Co. did little to counter that perception. Whoever emerges as the leader of the Republicans, the frontrunner for the next election cycle, etc. has a daunting task ahead of them.
If the Republicans trot out Gov. Sarah Palin as this person, they may as well fold the tent. Palin connects with a lot of people but realistically, is not going to see those fiscal conservatives and social moderates I mentioned above come barging into her corner. We may very well see the Republicans banking on a disastrous four years from Obama as a means to recapture the White House, with nothing substantive to offer but well..."change."
Sorry for the lengthy reponse, Brett - but you asked.
