Also, he got the 60% rule – which says that if you get 60% of your agenda- you are a winner.

That defines a supermajority for some federal actions. Two-thirds is the other common number. If you are a stickler like me, you’ll want the Golden or Divine Proportion (ratio of minority to majority is also ratio of majority to the whole) of 61.8 (or if you want to be more precise, 61.8034) per cent. (62 votes in the Senate)

* * *

I want to add one more thing from the Pew report on GOP (not Dem, GOP) voters, about what I have said that Evil Gummint Health Kare is a mainstream, no longer a radical leftist, idea:

Likely Republican voters overwhelmingly favor a smaller government providing fewer services to a bigger government providing more extensive services. Despite this widely shared view, sizable minorities of GOP voters in South Carolina and New Hampshire, and Republican voters nationally, say they favor the government guaranteeing universal health insurance even if it means raising taxes.

As with Huck’s rise and a hoped for Hillary’s fall, don’t give too much weight to us in Iowa.

led our country in the wrong direction

Most Republican-leaning voters believe this.

a) numbers from the GOP-voter Pew report (see following numbers on Bush and direction).

Bush job approval

Approve US 67% IA 80% NH 55% SC 72%

Disapprove US 22% IA 16% NH 35% SC 19%

Don’t know US 11% IA 4% NH 10% SC 9%

Prefer a GOP candidate who will…

Continue Bush’s policies

US 29% IA 40% NH 26% SC 38%

Take country in a different direction

US 60% IA 53% NH 66% SC 51%

Don’t know

US 12% IA 7% NH 8% SC 7%

b) And of course there are the 2006 election results that were anti-Republican.

Instead of envisioning a shining city on a hill,

We have seen your shining city on a hill, it’s a beautiful castle made of white marble around which there are huge & gorgeous mansions, the whole thing is surrounded by a wall & moat to keep the peasants who live in the shantytown outside the walls from coming in.

The current GOP seems to thrive on xenophobia–the ’08 campaign will paint the Democrats as enablers of little brown men who want to take back the southwest for Mexico.

No matter, bygones are bygones and all that. But while we’re talking about ignorance blocs, it would be wise to note that the Republicans actually have one or two decent candidates running this year. The problem is, the Republican Party (beginning under Nixon but perfected under St. Ronnie) has made it’s bread and butter issues those that most appeal to the ignorant (you know guns, God ‘n gays) and now no one is left in the party but the ignorant. So these one or two decent candidates have no constituency anymore in the Party.

The Republican Party made its bed, and is now forced to sleep in it…

Good night. The party is over.

For starters, how about offering an acknowledgement of the serious mistakes they made that led our country in the wrong direction, and than an apology for doing so? I could certainly respect that. Then maybe they could outline what their vision for America is so folks could have some expectation of what they would do differently. Now I don’t really expect any of that to be forthcoming, but since you asked the question, I thought it deserved an honest answer.

Let’s keep it on the GOP. What can and what should they offer us? They’re lighter than Dems Lite right now.

It is false that conservatives offer us the old, negative, pessimistic, static, while liberals offer us the new, positive, optimistic, dynamic (note to Dems and libs: seize and use these words frequently about yourselves and your opponents), with the classic setup on television by liberals featuring the liberal as a younger, attractive, articulate person matched against an older, tired or unattractive-looking, Grizzled Old Buzzard.

But it’s a common view and that’s the natural disadvantage (along with the Democrats’ “ignorance bloc” that boosts Dem vote totals) the GOP faces and will always face (especially with a liberal media an adversary of the GOP).

My point on this thread is that the GOP’s predicament in this election rises above the level of being disadvantaged. Even by the standards of common beliefs about the two parties, which place the GOP at a disadvantage, the GOP field this time sends us a signal that rises well above the noise. This election season, they are truly offering us nothing new, nothing innovative, nothing to make us hopeful if they were elected and desire to elect them.

If I be wrong (nice, grizzled-old-buzzard use of the subjunctive), please post corrective information.

Aside from that, it really is true this year: The GOP field offers Americans nothing positive, much less innovative. If I am incorrect, please tell me (us) what they offer that is so.