Question of the Day | 05/12/2009 11:00 pm

What might the loss of our tradition of bipartisanism mean for the country?

The erosion of the Republican Party may only be temporary. However, if we lose our tradition of bipartisanism, what might this mean for the country? Candice Bergen, Liz Smith and Joan Ganz Cooney weigh in …

Liz Smith | 05/12/2009 11:00 pm

Liz Smith: 'Leave the Old GOP to the Rush Limbaughs'

The Republicans will come back. They have to. They just need to regain their senses, get back to the middle of the road and stop listening to the voices of far-right insanity. They need to develop their own real governmental plans for success in the future instead of just pitifully attacking Democratic plans. They need, we all need, to be united and cooperative instead of just obstructive. The two-party system will prevail, no matter what the two parties call themselves. Maybe sensible Republicans should rename themselves Independent Republicans and leave the old GOP to the Rush Limbaughs.

24 Comments

Joan Ganz Cooney | 05/12/2009 11:00 pm

Joan Ganz Cooney: The Republicans Have Nine Lives

Not so fast. I don’t think the Republican Party is about to disappear. Everyone seems to forget that after Barry Goldwater lost nearly every state in the union in 1964, the Republican Party came roaring back with none other than Richard Nixon. Then after Watergate and all the obituaries for the Republican Party and the one term of Carter, Reagan came in for eight years, followed by four more with George H.W. Bush. I don’t ever count those guys out. This country has never been particularly bipartisan but I believe we’ll always have at least two parties.

6 Comments

Candice Bergen | 05/12/2009 11:00 pm

Candice Bergen Thinks Republicans Have Become 'Utterly Irrelevant'

The Republicans seem to have hit a long, bad, mean-spirited patch. Well, another of those patches. The last eight years seem to have honed their combativeness to a fine and brittle point. They have become hopelessly extremist in their conservatism, utterly irrelevant and hopelessly inflexible.
Maybe what Liz said is the direction they should take; become the Independent Republican party. Reinvent themselves. Give themselves a good name for God’s sake. Find some vibrant young intelligent leaders and work with the Democrats instead of being so mindlessly obstructionist.

25 Comments

161 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

The GOP is going nowhere…it just is making itself irrelevant with its insane extremism/ignorance/hypocriscy.

By Suzanne de Cornelia on 05/13/2009 1:46 am

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Maybe like a Phoenix from the ashes a new party will arise, shake the sand out of its posterior and be reborn with a new face and innovative ideas. I’m just saying…..

By Judy K. on 05/13/2009 2:06 am

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I’ll still continue to vote for both parties as I always have. I seem to vote 1/3 Republican and 2/3 Democrat. I’ve always voted for the candidate hoping for nonparitisan. Obviously, I’ve been dreaming. Yet it won’t change how I vote. I still have hope since both parties have good ideals if they would work together.

My children have been voting independent for years. Maybe a new party will arise.

By Laura Ward on 05/13/2009 2:22 am

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I think folks with good intentions will always find themselves in a place where they need to compromise in order to gain. It is sad. I am like you, I vote for the candidate that most represents my ideals… in my home we have discussed "what would it take for a 3rd party to evolve" that could happen since the GOP truly needs to re-invent themselves in order to gain any respect or credibility. In the meantime I tend to agree a bit more with the left these days……….

By Lucy Puniwai on 05/13/2009 10:04 pm

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The Republican Party already destroyed the "traditional bipartisanism" in this country. What it means is that it is no longer possible to have a real discussion of any meaningful substance in public because of the constant assault on ideas outside the party line. For that reason, even pretending that we can answer such a question on this website without the censorship of progressive views that has been going on for months is a total sham. If you remove this post, I will post it all over the internet along with the fact that it has been censored by wOw.

By Mugsy Peabody on 05/13/2009 2:31 am

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Mugsy - Unfortunately, the exact same thing can be said of the Democratic Party. Just look at some of the comments here at WOW. Most of the personal attacks against not only Republican politicians but against fellow WOW participants are coming from the Left. There is often vigorous debate but too often the thread turns into maliciousness and wishes that somebody might die or even worst die dreadfully. Folks on the right are not posting comments of that nature … those are coming from the Democrats or maybe I should say far left Democrats.

There was an article regarding the former Vice President published on WOW yesterday. Follow that thread and see who is debating and who is throwing hand grenades. It happens all the time at WOW …..debates turns into a mud fight by the Dems and as they continue to lose a debate (and they do not lose them all) they become malicious. Happens time and again. Most of the posters who have the knack of debating from the Left have apparently joined you in your shadow website in opposition to WOW. Too bad.

By Bonnie Oliver on 05/13/2009 3:28 am

Bravo, Bonnie !!!

By Marjorie C. on 05/13/2009 6:11 am

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Well, Bonnie, except that I don’t have a shadow website. That’s a rumor that simply isn’t true, like much of what is said on this website.

By Mugsy Peabody on 05/13/2009 6:31 am

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Thanks Mugsy - I actually meant the Facebook group, not your own individual website. My apologies.

By Bonnie Oliver on 05/13/2009 8:24 am

Bonnie, obviously what people do elsewhere is none of your business.

By Mugsy Peabody on 05/13/2009 2:57 pm

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I think I declined your invitation to join the Facebook group. I am not a member of that website. None of my business? I don’t think I have ever commented on what happens at Facebook….except that you have recruited folks from the wowowow website to join you, especially those who share your political philosophy.

By Bonnie Oliver on 05/13/2009 4:34 pm

Oh really, Bonnie, now you are just getting paranoid. If people want to make friends online, it is hardly recruiting! Make your own facebook site and see if you like it. Or better yet, get outside and enjoy people in 3-D, with all their possible political philosophies, quirks and charms.

Certainly what Mugsy may do on other sites has nothing to do with you. If you think it does, you may need to read up on narcissism.

By Elizabeth Bennett on 05/13/2009 6:33 pm

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Extreme paranoia that’s for sure.

Lot’s of us are on Mugsy’s page [and on mine…..] and has NOTHING to do with Wow that is never even MENTIONED.

You know Elizabeth, speaking of the East Bay…..I once went to an after work protest in Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco…down by the Embarcadero. Was in a white Chanel suit/high heels as that’s what wore to work that day and meeting someone for dinner after at nearby Boulevard restaurant. Nancy Pelosi, Rev Cecil Wiliams, Susie Tompkins, etc…..huge crowd….music, fun, great speakers, attractive San Francisco people. The right wing contingent was off the the right side with their lunatic religious wacko signs. I noticed the stark difference between that side and our side. Ours was fit, attractive, well dressed, educated looking……typical Pacific Heights type group. The right wing side all over weight, poorly dressed, not fit, sprayed 50s hairdos, blue eye shadow etc….very unattractive in every way.Made a big impression on me. The divide was there in living color so to speak. I guess they all bused in….didn’t look like they belonged in San Francisco. sniff.

By Suzanne de Cornelia on 05/13/2009 7:43 pm

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Good Grief Elizabeth. Mugsy invited me to join the group. I declined. I have no idea what is happening over there and neither do I have an interest. What is the problem? I suggest you read again the posts between Mugsy and I. No paranoia nor narcissism. Maybe the word recruit was too definitive …. However, on one particular day, Mugsy "invited" three or four posters to join her over at Facebook. I did not offer any criticism of that fact …. simply made mention of it.

By Bonnie Oliver on 05/13/2009 8:07 pm

All right. If you have no idea what is happening over there, you have no business concluding that the facebook group is anti-wowowow in any way. Maybe you are just indulging in that old-fashioned American exercise of jumping to conclusions…

[Myself, I prefer to hike the Bay Trail. I recommend it to you.]

By Elizabeth Bennett on 05/13/2009 10:31 pm