It was Nixon who started to use the culture wars to obtain votes, started to pander to the religious right (while the more ideologically conservative Barry Goldwater opposed their influence), and attacked the “liberal” media.

The Republicans have many problems. This includes both their message and the types of politics which they embraced in the Nixon years. Using Nixon as an example might provide some improvement in terms of pragmatism over ideology compared to Bush, but following Nixon's example would also continue many of the problems which have hurt the Republicans.

Even Nixon's pragmatism has its limits as a model, such as the way in which Nixon got bogged down in Vietnam. Republicans would have been smarter to have done the opposite from Nixon and avoid getting into a quagmire in Iraq.

The latest from MSNBC: “In the newer, post-election study, her favorable was 48 percent and unfavorable 47 percent among all Americans. “
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27909954/

I hope she can learn to lose that fake Midwestern? accent before she is paraded around the country representing “real” Americans again.

the Republican Paerty is being buried by demographics. The only hope for any conservative idea is for conservatives to stop voting in the Republican primary and start voting in the Democratic primary. If all of the current Republican voters would have voted in the Iowa Democratic caucus, President-Elect Obama may have never gotten the nomination.

Anyway, I have this nagging feeling that Palin is a little psychotic, or deranged or at the very least not quite right….

Does anyone else have a similar thought or am I the one being looney here (and I just may, considering I can't stand her, though I've never thought this about anyone else in the political world that I've disliked, not even Cheney or Bush).

So yes Tony, you are right. The Republicans need to forget Palin and choose a pragmatist. I'm sad to see that the Republicans might be “banished” because I think they are needed in the US. At least the “good” Republican part of smaller government, etc.- not the religious righters. I hope the GOP can think their problems through and come up with a solution that will help America, not just the religious right, since they are the party of the intolerant religious right. If they want to be the party of the religious right, they will continue to lose power and influence. But they have a right to define their party as they see fit. But they can't whine when mainstream America does not agree with their intolerance. I hope a new and sensible party develops (and fast!) to replace the old Republican sensibilities.