Sorry, but I had to use a version of that Simpsons quote (and I basically copied it from a writer).

Piggybacking on yesterday’s post, I found this article by Reihan Salam about the doomed McCain Presidency. It’s not as much his problem, but it is the problem of the GOP not being able to notice that the times they are a-changing. As I said yesterday, the nation is moving towards a new liberal era as the conservative era ends. He notes that Britain is in its own liberal (or more precisely, Labour) era and the British Conservatives have wisely tailored their party to suit the new time. Here on the other side of the pond, the GOP still thinks it’s “Morning in America;”

Britain’s Conservatives might be plotting a triumphant return to power but America’s Republicans are in a state of utter collapse. And it’s not just because the tide is turning after two terms of George W. Bush. For better or for worse, the Cameron Conservatives have adapted to a more culturally liberal, urban, diverse society. They have reconciled themselves to the welfare state in a way that Keith Joseph and Margaret Thatcher never did. Republicans, in contrast, are labouring under the illusion that America remains the yeoman democracy of yesteryear, full of plucky individualists. Slowly but surely, American politics is catching up with the country’s demographic transformation. American exceptionalism — the many quirks of geography and culture that conspire to make US society something of an anomaly among advanced market democracies — is all but dead.

Salam goes on to note that the United States has become a more urban and therefore more government-friendly society, which gives the Democrats the advantage. He goes on to say that Barack Obama’s “brand” is one that is “cool,” akin to an Apple or a Prius. The GOP doesn’t have anything like that.

My own personal opinion is that, in this modern liberal era, the GOP is going to have to tailor itself to the times in the same way that Bill Clinton tailored the Democrats to fit the conservative era. Of course, die-hard conservatives won’t like it, but they will go along because after a while, winning becomes more important than losing on “principle.”

The fact is, there are many of us who might lean Republican who do like small government, but doesn’t see that to mean “no government.” We believe government can be a tool to better things without running the show. Government will have to in some form, work on issues like global warming or health care and the Republicans will need to come up with credible alternatives to what the Democrats will offer.

The downside, is that the GOP will have to follow the same course the Democrats did in the 80s; face many losing elections to see that the old ways aren’t working and that something new is called for. One election loss will not do it.

So, I guess I do welcome our new liberal overlords, they might force the GOP to change in ways many of us have wanted to see.