I. The Democrats' "Euro Envy"
Let's state our thesis up front: The Democrats are in so much trouble on the immigration/border security/counter-terrorism issue that only a truly bone-headed move by the Republicans could save the Democrats from electoral debacle in 2016 and beyond.  Which, of course, is always possible, even if, thankfully, it is increasingly unlikely.   

Perhaps the biggest problem that the Democrats have is Euro Envy.  That is, leftist Americans are deeply influenced by the leftist politics of Europe and therefore determined to emulate all its features—whether ordinary Americans like them or not.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/11/27/the-democrats-death-wish-the-disappearing-destiny-of-the-donkey-party/

Quote from: kroz on November 28, 2015, 04:59:43 AM
I. The Democrats' "Euro Envy"
Let's state our thesis up front: The Democrats are in so much trouble on the immigration/border security/counter-terrorism issue that only a truly bone-headed move by the Republicans could save the Democrats from electoral debacle in 2016 and beyond.  Which, of course, is always possible, even if, thankfully, it is increasingly unlikely.   

Perhaps the biggest problem that the Democrats have is Euro Envy.  That is, leftist Americans are deeply influenced by the leftist politics of Europe and therefore determined to emulate all its features—whether ordinary Americans like them or not.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/11/27/the-democrats-death-wish-the-disappearing-destiny-of-the-donkey-party/

I agree the democrats have dug a huge hole on this issue and they keep on digging. However, GOPe is fully capable of blowing the opportunity.

Quote from: supsalemgr on November 28, 2015, 05:02:25 AM
I agree the democrats have dug a huge hole on this issue and they keep on digging. However, GOPe is fully capable of blowing the opportunity.

Yep, and I believe the border was the singular key issue that killed the Establishment in the eyes of the base.
They could have actually survived and continued in power, but instead, they quadrupled down on stupid and joined the Marxist in assisted suicide.
Decades of warnings to quit working with the enemy, and still they fight us in keeping the illegal flow of illegals.

I agree, and believe this issue killed off both party's.

Long article to summarize... the problem

QuoteAs Breitbart executive chairman Stephen K. Bannon recently told The Daily Beast in a profile of Breitbart's Matt Boyle, the story of American politics over the last few decades has been the emergence of two "Davos Parties": That is, both Democrats and Republicans have been happy lapdogs for the jet-set of globetrotting, globalizing, mostly green, mostly gay-friendly, all-outsourcing, all-tax-dodging, all-open-bordering, stratum of billionaires.  So if both parties take the same position on the issue of no-limits immigration, then, by definition, the open-borders forces can't lose.

Ok, we all figured that part out....

QuoteOf course, this GOP shift will cause some internal pain.  As Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, and a stalwart immigration hawk, explained recently about Republican thinking as it has seesawed between the elites and the masses: "At some point they're going to have to choose between the voters and the billionaires."  And recent history shows that the billionaires have usually  gotten the long straw; the plutocrats, along with their platoons of propagandists, have won the hearts and minds of many top Republicans in recent years, including George W. Bush, Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) 32%, Eric Cantor, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) 43%, and, until very recently at least, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)
58% and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) 80%.

Of course, not every conservative trusts the sincerity of Rubio's conversion.  Indeed, some see his recent attempts to tar Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) 97% with his own brush as yet more desperate cunning.  As recalled by Daniel Horowitz, writing for Conservative Review under the headline, "Cruz Fought Amnesty, Rubio Fought Conservatives":

When it mattered, Cruz wasn't just a vote for sovereignty and security, he was a voice for it.  Rubio wasn't just a vote for Obama's prize agenda, he was a voice for it.  For those of us who fought with everything we had to defeat the Gang of 8 despite Rubio's best effort to score the ultimate game-winning touchdown for Obama, we can't just let this go.

Correctly identifies the difference between Cruz & Rubio on amnesty.

QuoteFor sure, we onlookers will be reminded that the donor class has pile-driven its influence deep into the foundations of both parties.  And that influence will be hard to uproot; it will certainly take more than one good presidential election.

BINGO!!!!  DING-DING-DING!!!  (didn't we already know that, too?)

In short, 2 major political parties, with essentially one group of globalist-minded donors.  ( I think we knew that already, or at least suspected )

Quote from: Hoofer on November 28, 2015, 05:52:06 AM

In short, 2 major political parties, with essentially one group of globalist-minded donors.  ( I think we knew that already, or at least suspected )

Yes we did, but it was nice to see it in print with the dying donkey languishing in the desert!

It all goes to support our position to a larger audience!  That is always a plus.

Quote from: kroz on November 28, 2015, 06:17:46 AM
Yes we did, but it was nice to see it in print with the dying donkey languishing in the desert!

It all goes to support our position to a larger audience!  That is always a plus.

Very True!

The donkey party can always live on in the minds of people who don't care about foreign policy of a balanced budget, as long as those dem voters get there social security and lots of federal spending, they're just fine.

Quote from: ChristieForPres on November 28, 2015, 07:46:29 AM
The donkey party can always live on in the minds of people who don't care about foreign policy of a balanced budget, as long as those dem voters get there social security and lots of federal spending, they're just fine.

OK... switch to decaf, click on the link and read it.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/11/27/the-democrats-death-wish-the-disappearing-destiny-of-the-donkey-party/
If you did, you might have realized some of the single digit candidates are really contributing to the problem of rescuing the Democratic party.  Perhaps even offer a well-reasoned suggestion (which I failed, because I falsely assumed EVERYONE here figured it out already).   the article is pretty well thought out, and given the political climate, popularity of non-establishment candidates, it *could* be the beginning of the end for BOTH parties (as we know them), with the Democrats failing and Republicans not far behind.

Euro Envy is the globally minded centrist, Kroz summarized quite well in a sentence.  IMO, that kind of mindset completely ignores "middle America" voters, (typical beltway types), who would rather spend a fortune on sound bites & warm fuzzy ads than actually propose something of substance - like Ted Cruz or Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, like rats jumping ship, the rest of the republicans are clamoring for attention, "me too!  me too!" - with 2 hold outs, Kasich & Bush, still thinking middle America wants compromise instead of bold leadership.  The Euro-policy (or global) contrast is quite astounding, Obama did a lot of bowing - Trump will be the bitch-slap-president

I've routinely designated Euro-envy as a Kerry thing.  He was the pre-obama instigator of following Europe's example for this 'n that.  In 2009, he was An American Dope In Copenhagen, advocating we follow Europe's lead on global-warming.  Even the name of his stupid committee sounded pander-y to Europe:  Keeping America's Promise. 

Who were we 'promising'?

Quote from: Hoofer on November 28, 2015, 08:10:17 AM
OK... switch to decaf, click on the link and read it.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/11/27/the-democrats-death-wish-the-disappearing-destiny-of-the-donkey-party/
If you did, you might have realized some of the single digit candidates are really contributing to the problem of rescuing the Democratic party.  Perhaps even offer a well-reasoned suggestion (which I failed, because I falsely assumed EVERYONE here figured it out already).   the article is pretty well thought out, and given the political climate, popularity of non-establishment candidates, it *could* be the beginning of the end for BOTH parties (as we know them), with the Democrats failing and Republicans not far behind.

Euro Envy is the globally minded centrist, Kroz summarized quite well in a sentence.  IMO, that kind of mindset completely ignores "middle America" voters, (typical beltway types), who would rather spend a fortune on sound bites & warm fuzzy ads than actually propose something of substance - like Ted Cruz or Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, like rats jumping ship, the rest of the republicans are clamoring for attention, "me too!  me too!" - with 2 hold outs, Kasich & Bush, still thinking middle America wants compromise instead of bold leadership.  The Euro-policy (or global) contrast is quite astounding, Obama did a lot of bowing - Trump will be the bitch-slap-president

I'd say almost accurate, with the caveat that the only keeping the illusion of a viable two party system being alive, is the media and it's need of projecting the deception nothing has changed, when in truth, the Dim party committed suicide and the GOP jumped in the coffin like a good Toady would, where sacrifice for the master is the honorable thing.

But in all seriousness, the Dim party is, for all practical purposes, dead for an entire generation, and their enablers in the GOP are about to lose leverage after 2016.

As usual, I couldn't get the website to load.

As to the Dem's disappearing?  I wished...I'll believe it when I see it. 

How far the Democrats of Mr Jefferson's day, have fallen. PUBS never were worth more than a cup of warm spit.