Are the Republicans going the way of the Federalists?

[NYC Liberal]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federalist_Party#Opposition_to_the_War_of_1812

During the proceedings of the Hartford Convention, secession from the Union was discussed, though the resulting report listed a set of grievances against the Democratic-Republican federal government and proposed a set of Constitutional amendments to address these grievances. It also indicated that if these proposals were ignored, then another convention should be called and given "such powers and instructions as the exigency of a crisis may require". The Federalist Massachusetts Governor had already secretly sent word to England to broker a separate peace accord. Three Massachusetts "ambassadors" were sent to Washington to negotiate on the basis of this report.

By the time the Federalist "ambassadors" got to Washington, the war was over and news of Andrew Jackson's stunning victory in the Battle of New Orleans had raised American morale immensely. The "ambassadors" slunk back to Massachusetts, but not before they had done fatal damage to the Federalist Party. The Federalists were thereafter associated with the disloyalty and parochialism of the Hartford Convention, and destroyed as a political force. They fielded their last presidential candidate (Rufus King) in 1816, and their last serious vice-presidential candidate (Richard Stockton) in 1820. With its passing partisan hatreds and newspaper feuds on the decline, the nation entered the "Era of Good Feelings", marked by the absence of all but one political party. After the dissolution of the final Federalist congressional caucus in 1825, the last traces of Federalist activity came in Delaware state politics in the late 1820s, where in fact, the party in 1826 elected Governor Charles Polk, Jr., the last significant Federalist office holder in the United States, and as late as 1828 won control of the legislature

Replace "Hartford Convention" with "Tea Bagging Parties"
Replace "Massachusetts" with "Texas"
Replace Federalists with Republicans, Democratic-Republicans with Democrats

Oh and the possibility of Obama/Democrats bringing in an "Era of Good Feelings."

Of course - this is probably just my fantasy. But hey, I would not mind the Repugs imploding completely.

[old mark]

1. I was speculating on this before the election - I believe they are

about to fade from national prominence, becoming a splintered regional party after another disgraceful campaign in 2012. They are their own worst enemy right now, have been for some time, but the majority of Americans have finally understood what the GOP is all about and reject it.

Obama is driving nails into their coffin simply by being himself, a decent, intelligent real human being who cares for the welfare of the people of this country.

mark

[Pab Sungenis]

2. However, if tney do, then the Democratic Party will break up, too.

It's the nature of the system. Nature abhors a vacuum, and a second major party will arise. It happened in 1824-1828 with the Democratic-Republican split into the Democrats and the National Republicans (who later made up most of the Whig party). In 1856-1860 the Whigs disintegrated and their remnants formed with anti-slavery Democrats to form the Republican party.

If the Republicans disintegrate, than one of two things will happen. Either the remaining Republicans will join up with the DINOs to form the "Conservative" party, or the "moderate" and conservative factions of the Democrats will swell with their numbers and a new "Progressive" party will break off from the Democrats.

We will never have any protracted period of one-party rule in this country. Which is as it should be.