Liz is right!  And we will be back stronger than ever with moderate Republicans leading the way - and a leader for that side of the party will emerge, someone with the same leadership skills that Gingrich exhibited in ‘94.

John S. Johnson

Old Lyme, CT 

I agree with most of what Liz says: however, I believe that the real issue with the Republicans is that the original core beliefs have been diluted, especially in the MSM.

As a moderate Republican, I believe that "less is more" when it comes to government.  I don’t want the government telling me what to do, which is a CORE Republican tennant.  I know that there is definately a vocal part of the party that does not feel that way, specifically in regards to abortion issues, but in reality, most Republicans are already fairly moderate.

Many believe that at some point a third party will appear.  The continuing diversity of this country is one indicator.  Some believe Palin can revive the party.  No, she can’t.  Most of her admirers are the evangelicals, but this is a country where organized religion is on the decline.  People do not like societal issues forced upon them, and that is one mantra of the hard right GOP that never resonates well with the electorate.  

  They just don’t get it. Team McCain was thrilled with Rev. Wright and his church. They relentlessly replayed that tape repeatedly but failed to note that, during that time, Obama’s numbers were not only holding steady but beginning to rise. 

There surely are republicans out there that are refusing the political viewpoint of Rush and Ann.

We had an IR party in MN. They dropped the “independent” when they joined the rest of the GOP on the far right.

I have heard many Republicans bemoan the extremism of the party leadership. Only a few talk about creating a new party. Most talk about taking back the party from the extremists and restoring the Republican party as the party of Lincoln. For years, it has been all talk. The time is now, but the opportunity is slipping away.

The problem is that the far right controls the campaign money, and extreme ideologues are getting elected. The Rush Limbaughs feed the fears and prejudices that keep the far right alive. The reach of their pulpits gives them the illusion of being mainstream.

The prevailing GOP leadership is currently incapable of bipartisanship - a consequence of extremism. They are not the party America needs them to be.

I always love it when uber-liberals like Liz Smith tell us conservatives how to win elections.

Morons. 

We just run the most "moderate" democrat lite" candidate in history, and LOST. If John McCain hadn’t picked Sarah Palin, a true conservative, that old fool would have lost in a landslide.But as good as she is, she couldn’t pull that RINO out of the mud! 

The Republican party wins landslide elections every time they run a REAL true conservative. EVERY SINGLE TIME. 

The problem with McCain, and being a "moderate" is it was hard to tell the difference between him and Obama on the campaign trail. Of course, Obama was lying, and only acted like a "centrist" on the campaign trail. 

Obama is a far left communist, as is evidenced by the total destruction of everything near and dear in just over 110 days! 

Any real conservative, on the top of the ticket, would have crushed that empty suit, no experience. rookie. 

I doubt Liz Smith, or any of the commenters here have even heard Rush Limbaugh. All you know is the leftist propaganda you read. Limbaugh is all about the American ideal. He believes that America is the greatest nation the world has even known, which it is (so far) and that for the most part, Americans are the world’s greatest, and most blessed people. 

Rush Limbaugh IS America.  I feel sorry for people who don’t listen to him. They are missing out on what being an American is all about.

Limbaugh talks about freedom, and liberty, and the glory of being an American. It’s a nice change of pace after hearing Barack Obama and the rest of the lefties tearing the nation down on a daily basis!

So Liz, you and the "moderates" can have your little party. The rest of us, the winners will go back to what we know always works!