I say let 'em fall. Time for a new party, and one WILL be coming along within the next few years, whether the GOP-E likes it or not. Our political system is reaching a point where, as a complex system, it will have enough energy injected into it to begin bifurcating like a chaotic system, and we're going to see our system drop over to a new strange attractor. Bet on it.
Further, it's numerically about time for another huge shift in our political system. ~90 years ago, we saw the Great Depression and the start of the New Deal. ~70 before that, the end of slavery and the civil war. ~50 years before that, the collapse of the Federalists and the beginning of the Era of Good Feelings and Democratic-Republican dominance for two decades. ~30 before that, the Revolution. ~10 years before that, the first serious colonial independence movements resulting from the Stamp Act, etc., after the end of the French and Indian War.
10-30-50-70-90. There's a pattern there, and we're nearing the end of the 90 year period for this cycle. Every other time, there have been huge dislocations, socially and politically, and in many cases, at least one of the major political parties has collapsed, or nearly done so, before being replaced and things renormalising a few elections later. We are on the cusp of major dislocations due to the massive debt, economic problems, and constitutional crises that Obama is forcing. Don't be surprised if the GOP simply collapses within a few years. Be ready to hop on board to build its replacement - while shutting out all of the present power brokers, brown nosers, and the rest in the current GOP.
A very interesting post, and your historical summary is intriguing. Not sure I follow you on this though:
“Our political system is reaching a point where, as a complex system, it will have enough energy injected into it to begin bifurcating like a chaotic system, and we’re going to see our system drop over to a new strange attractor.”
Please explain. My take is simply that there is no need for two leftwing, big government, small liberty parties. Unrepresented people will go elsewhere. Obviously your analysis is more complex and I would like to understand it.