Politics actually runs in cycles. Bush's 51% win in 2004 was the closest of any re-elected president in modern times compared to LBJ, Nixon or Reagan, and way below the strong win of Clinton in 1996. It should have served as a warning for being more responsive to the needs of the middle class and moderate voters, and listening to the growing public frustrations about Iraq. Equally Congress only works about 97 days a year, and became way too close to the 66 lobbyists per every Congressperson, resulting in scandals or a congress not really listening to the larger public will.

Now Republicans have put themselves on a bad part of cycle of power, and it may take many years to return to power in any real meaningful numbers. Republicans captured Congress in 1994, and held power this long, and Democrats held Congress for 40 years before, and unless they really let down the middle class and average voter, will likely retain power for a number of years that will fall somewhere between the previous 12 years or even the 40 years of the past Congresses. When a party is not really responsible to the public will, it can be a long time in the political wilderness waiting to come back.

Paul,

Actually it is much worse for the Republicans that you describe. The demographic groups that overwhelmingly support the Democratic Party such as blacks, hispanics, asians are the fastest growing segments of the populations. The demographic groups that support the Republicans, middle class whites, private sector workers, white church goes are shrinking.

Instead of talking about Republican prospects, the real question should be what will the politics and governance be like in the US in a one party country dominated by the Democrats? Will there be any check and balance of them when they know that they will always win enough elections to maintain power.

The most likely scenerio for 2008 is that Hillary Clinton will be the President and she will have a Senate with more than 60 Democratic senators. The question should be what will the government be like in such a scenerio. I would suspect that a second round of campaign regulation like McCain-Feingold will pass and that Congress will bring back the fairness doctrine to try to permanent like in an advantage for the Democrats.

The only way Dems lost in 2008 is if they nominate Hillary. She is toxic to much of America. I can't believe people aren't mentioning Al Gore more when discussing serious candidates. To me he is the obvious choice. Shafted in 2000, right on the war, a true visionary/leader on the environment. The anti-Hillary, so to speak...
www.minor-ripper.blogspot.com

Jeez....do you guys ever talk policy or political philosophy.......It's not about the races its about what they do in between them.

You guys treat politics like its a sport. Stick with your home town team no matter what..disregarding none of the players are from your home town and that it's all about money there as well.

So based on philosophy the Republicans should take a beating in the house and senate in 2008 because they can only win through misleading and deception.

If they were honest and ran on what they REALLY believe and WANT and said we really don't care about gay marriage and abortion or even Terry Schivo. We just use those as wedge issues to motivate our 6,000 year old Earth believing base. What we really want to do is transfer wealth from the working middle class to a wealthy ruling elite. To do so we want to get rid of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, make unions illegal, get rid of the school lunch programs (and public education with it), and sell off our pubic parks to private interest they would never NEVER NEVER get re-elected again....NEVER!!....but since they aren't honest and they ARE manipulative and their base AIN'T too bright I guess they have a chance in 2008

Just my analysis for 2008 as well as 2010, 2012, 2014 and on and on.

But the policy question should be how can democracy and a representative form of government function in a country that is on its way to become a one party country. What can the middle class do when the government will be able to do whatever its wants? Millions of people have moved to this country because their country of origin is messed up and they have no political say. What are those middle class people living the suburbs suppose to do if the US is messed up by the one party rule of the Democrats?

I can't believe someone is mentioning Al Gore as a serious democrat candidate with a chance - all with a straight face.

Run Al run!

It dosent matter what party run,s the Goverment.
It in itself is regeressing, right now the FBI took over from Homelandsecurity so they can tap into our computers Homelandsecurity another name for Nazi gestapo and the SS; now they are both doing it (can anyone say Macatheyism,? . How about the Hoover spy on your friends system?.Right now America is like Russia was in 1965 you can be jailed for speaking against the goverment or voicing your opinion you can forget about the freedom of speach. we already have many new concentration camps there is 1 not far from me it looks like a Hotel so nobody pays atention to it
There has been a movement for sometime that the goverment and police support elimantion of all disabled people and elderly people. I was so proud to be an American when i was young, now i am ashamed to admit i was born here in the free world' ha ha ha you can make that a growing Dictatorship of one class only!