In the event that the Republican party were to crash and burn there would need to be an alternative to the Democratic Party. In this instance it would be wise to go after the open voting blocs that were consumed by the Republican party. The south would be a major starting point. As Aldrich stated, we are now a more candidate based voting society. If there were a person out there that could have the charisma and charm of Obama but the experience of president to lead the party, not to be the next president they would be perfect. Who could it be….Bill Clinton. This man has faced several problems and overcome them. Clinton would be able to reinvent himself as the Party chairmen, along with his choice for president, to the extent that he would be able to cater to the conservative south while still retaining the vote of those people that he won during his presidency. The more liberal voters would, I believe, still show support for Clinton and anyone that he promotes. For god sakes the man got fellatio in the White house. How much more liberal can you get.
Political platforms would mostly be changed, but I would keep the fiscal conservativeness. With the current situation sure to pear over our shoulders for at least the next decade it will be what the people will want to see. A very centered approach would be taken for the rest of the platform. I would stress progressivism as I believe that this is one of the advantages that the Democratic Party had over the Republican Party, at least in the modern age of politics. This gives each candidate the ability to have the party cater to there ideas and needs. In a candidate centered arena this is what promises success.
With the understanding that there are, and will more then likely only be two major parties in the American system, people will have to choose between the Republican Party and the new party. This gives the new party the chance to take what was good about the Republican Party and what was good about the Democratic Party. While it is true that the “electorate as a whole typically perceives clear differences between the two parties” (Aldrich, 170) it is also true that they will learn to see smaller differences. I believe that it is important that the new party stays away from the “me too” issue that has been seen in the past. This will help to create the differences.
I think that the new party would be ready to seriously compete in national elections within 5 years. With the luxury of the internet and other mass media channels of distribution of literature and ideals would be made easy. A constant effort would have to be made to expose the general public to the new party. Commercials would have to be mass to cater to each demographic and their lives and what they could relate to.
