Tucker, I realize you have to think in terms of political philosophies, but most Americans are not ideologues. The only reason for most people to vote is to improve their own individual lives. They vote with their wallets and their hearts. They balance personal pragmatism with their personal feelings about the likeability and trustworthiness of candidates.

They’re practical. When a political philosophy proves to be harmful, a la GWB‘s, it’s out. When a candidate does not address issues of personal relevance, as with McCain’s near-total failure to talk about anything but a “washed up terrorist,” they lose. When a candidate seems untrustworthy, well, hey, you fill in the blanks. By September, who could believe anything coming from the McCain team?

Personally, I have standards like yours in one respect: I want candidates to talk sense. One who doesn’t speak in complete sentences is not only not credible to me, they're offensive. I was appalled by Reagan and both Bushes for that reason. Their campaigns all had the feel of some large-scale scam.

But the evidence shows that clear, rational speech is not a requirement for a GOP candidate to win. Even someone with my biases could be convinced to vote for someone who only strung together random jingoistic nonsense. It's simple. Just show me a believable plan to make my life - mine, not my minister’s, stockbroker’s or boss’s, MINE - better, and I’ll hold my nose long enough to pull the lever even for an incoherent boob.

The GOP’s next presidential horse could win by speaking in tongues, if individual Americans could only believe they would make their lives better. If you want the GOP to survive, try dropping the unproductive ideology, regulation of social issues, and the promotion of enemies.

Renounce Ponzi schemes like Bush’s MBS markets, and take responsibility for governing US markets in the national interest.

Take a stand for personal freedom, self-determination and privacy. If nothing else, without agents in every bedroom, bookstore and Planned Parenthood clinic, government would be smaller.

Avoid asking voters to open their wallets for more far-away war, or to live in Giuliani’s frightful Fortress America. Back off on the CIC talk and run a peacemaker in 2012. Peace is cheaper.

Show average Americans, the great middle of the voting bell curve, a plan for making their personal lives better. From their viewpoint, the great Left/Right political divide that defines your professional career doesn’t. actually. matter.

greywerld:

In short, become democrats. Not bad advice.

In the sense that democrats have largely been centrists who actually care about the citizens of America..yeah, actually.

While Republicans have spent the last few decades becoming the servants of the right wing and large corporations, and to EXACTLY that degree have lost the trust of the larger American public, they should give up on this whole "business makes us strong"..(corporate welfare), and morality (mine..not yours) makes us a great nation.

Get out of my bedroom..really..oh yeah, and off my damn phone too.

*sorry that was just a personal rant*

If I have a job..and I can pay my bills and have a bit extra..then TRUST ME..I'll be out spending money and "strengthening" my economy my damn self!

Now maybe if you made sure there was something, hell anything, actually made in America..I'd be strengthening the American economy even better.

These ideas are simple, but until Republicans can get out of the wreckage of their ideological permanent campaign mode..they are worthless to the United States. All the real centrist conservatives voted Obama anyway.

whitehat-

You need to take a basic English course yourself. You wrote: "Personally, I have standards like yours (Tucker Carlson) in one respect: I want candidates to talk sense. One who doesn’t speak in complete sentences is not only not credible to me, they're offensive."

That's good. Obviously, you did not vote for McCain/Palin, neither of whom could put a proper sentence together.

Then you start to veer off course: "But the evidence shows that clear, rational speech is not a requirement for a GOP candidate to win. Even someone with my biases could be convinced to vote for someone who only strung together random jingoistic nonsense."

So one who doesn't speak in complete sentences is now, just two of your jingoistic sentences later, okay. Clearly you lack the strength of conviction. But what wafting mind pollutant reversed your beliefs so abruptly?

"It's simple. Just show me a believable plan to make my life - mine, not my minister’s, stockbroker’s or boss’s, MINE - better, and I’ll hold my nose long enough to pull the lever even for an incoherent boob."

Ahh...so that's it. Any plan you deem believable, no matter how poorly expressed or jingoistic or reliable, is one you would grab at...even if it came out of the mouth of a boob. A pity you hold yourself in less regard than your minister, your stockbroker, even your boss. Does your boss know this?

You then assume the unassumable to speak for all Americans. "The GOP’s next presidential horse," you state, "could win by speaking in tongues, if individual Americans could only believe they would make their lives better."

Apparently McCain/Palin speaking "jingoistic nonsense" was not enough for you. The 2012 Republican ticket should do the same...and presumably the next and the next...until jingoistic (not to mention unintelligible) rhetoric becomes the new language of voters who will vote exactly as you do. Thankfully, since Obama won the popular vote by nearly 7% and the electoral college vote by more than two-to-one, most voters seem to be moving away from your standard. We can all be thankful.

BCK2YU