[tkathy]

It's one thing to have strong views and try to change people's hearts and minds. It's another thing to chase people who don't share those views out of a great political party.

All that will happen by forcing religious ideologies into politics will be to put the democrats in power for the next 50 years.

[Clemenza]

You must be from New York/New Jersey/California. The "far right" GOP has won legislative majorites at the state and federal level regularly over the past ten years, while the socially liberal Rockefeller/Milicent Fenwick types only served as an echo chamber of the Democrats.

Get rid of the conservatives and you get rid of the core of the party. The key is to emphasize issues that are important to moderate swing voters as well, NOT to turn into a bunch of squishy George Pataki/Christie Whitmans "me too" Republicans in Name Only.