Tuesday, February 21, 2012

2012: The Year Of The Third Party or The Death Rattle Of The Republicans

http://www.roanoke.com/politics/wb/305074


I saw a brief snippet of this over the weekend, but I confirmed today that Virgil Goode is running for nomination under the Constitution Party banner.  This is wonderful news if you are a third party nut like myself, however it signals an overarching problem for the Republicans  that I think may have major implications at the national level.
Goode,who was a Democrat turned Republican, is now running as a Constitution Party candidate

Goode's running for the Constitution Party nomination could well be the end for the Republican Party as we know it.  How can I make this jump?  Look at the effectiveness of the Tea Party when coupled with the fact that a state Senator from Red State Virginia leaves the Republican Party for a third party like the Constitution Party.  Understandably, a state Senator jumping parties (I'm sure it happens all the time) is not the death rattle of a national political party, but it is cause for question, and look at where he is going.

The Constitution Party is the closest thing to the Tea Party without being a member of the Tea Party caucus.  The biggest shift in the Republican Party has been out to the fringe of the Conservative spectrum, towards what can be considered traditional Conservative Constitutional values.  The Tea Party exploded on the scene  spouting rhetoric that sounded eerily similar to old Republican talking points.  Ron Paul continues to do well preaching a gospel that would make many die hard Republicans stand up and cheer.  Republicans are having to move away from simply being Democrat Lites to be noticed, and are in turn changing the face of the party (much like Moser points out the Democrats need to do in the book Blue Dixie http://fairtopartlymoderate.blogspot.com/2011/05/book-review-blue-dixie.html) Many pundits would tell you that small government is the new big government just like orange is the new black...I guess that's right...

Virgil Goode is not the last nail in the Republican coffin, but when you look at some of the other nails in the pouch, it does look onimous for Republicans.

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