This one really jumped out at me

Take it away, Daily Kos!

Arnold Schwarzenegger, GOP outcast

by Jed Lewison

Share this on Twitter - Arnold Schwarzenegger, GOP outcast

Wed May 06, 2009 at 01:44:04 PM PDT

Eating their own:

Politically, it has become a do-or-die moment for the Republican governor, whose own party has largely abandoned him, to the point that Mr. Schwarzenegger says he is considering endorsing a Democrat in the 2010 race to succeed him.

Here's the link: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/5/6/728412/-Arnold-Schwarzenegger,-GOP-outcast

538 on the Specter fallout

Saw this in 538's newest Senate seat rankings, more on the Specter party-switch and exactly why he did it:

A Republican comeback is unlikely if the uber-conservative Pat Toomey is the Republican nominee. But if ex-Gov. Tom Ridge runs -- and wins -- instead, he would be a formidable opponent. The catch is that it isn't clear how Ridge, like Specter a moderate, pro-choice Republican, will escape the problems that drove Specter from the party, as what's left of the GOP base in Pennsylvania is highly conservative and pro-life.

Looks like the same factors that influenced Specter will be in play for a long time. Here's the link: http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/05/senate-rankings-may-2009-edition.html

Christie-Lonegan getting more and more spirally

Saw this today, Chris Christie now asserting that he is the real conservative in the race. Reeks of R.D.S.

Christie says he's the conservative in race for Governor

By Max Pizarro, PolitickerNJ.com Reporter

Fighting the description out there that he's a centrist in wolf's clothing, GOP gubernatorial candidate Christopher Christie challenged the essence of his chief rival's campaign today as he suggested that Steven Lonegan, leader of New Jersey's conservative moment, is running plays out of the Democratic Party playbook.

Here's the link: http://www.politickernj.com/max/29425/christie-says-hes-conservative-race-governor

A little local color

Being from New Jersey and involved in local politics, I've been following the coming Governor's race very closely. Another reason, though, is that it's a very interesting test case for the Republican Death Spiral. Blue Jersey, take it away!

Ad Watch: "Scamming the system is a family affair"

by: Jason Springer

Thu Apr 30, 2009 at 11:15:00 AM EDT

The conservative group Freedom's Defense fund is on their air with their new ad going after Chris Christie and his family ties saying that for Chris Christie, it's a family affair. Here's what they say about it and their backup:

Here's the link: http://www.bluejersey.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=11220

This is all very intriguing, with a conservative group attacking the GOP front-runner in a highly important governor's race. Of course, Chris Christie is relatively moderate, while his opponent Steve Lonegan is conservative to the point of wanting to abolish income taxes.

Count it!

Just saw another perfect example of the Death Spiral in action, from Daily Kos:

GOP Losing On Favorite Wedge Issue

by BarbinMD

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Thu Apr 30, 2009 at 07:50:03 AM PDT

One more thing the Republican Party failed to anticipate:

It was only five years ago that opposition to gay marriage was so strong that Republicans explicitly turned to the issue as a way to energize conservative voters. Yet today, as the party contemplates the task of rebuilding itself, some Republicans say the issue of gay marriage may be turning into more of a hindrance than a help.

So, what should a national party in decline do when they're losing out on one of their pet wedge issues? Embrace it!

For Republicans, the complications of this issue could very well focus on the very first state on the nominating calendar in 2012, Iowa. The courts there overturned a law banning gay marriage earlier this month, and social conservatives — who are a strong force in Republican politics in Iowa — are already organizing to try to amend the state Constitution to restore the ban.

Should developments continue apace, Republican candidates for president are going to be pressed to support that effort, and to spend time talking about an issue that could undercut their appeal to more centrist voters in a general election.

Will that matter? As Mr. Schmidt noted, the winner of the Iowa Republican caucus is hardly assured of becoming the party’s nominee; Mr. McCain lost there in 2008. Still, he said it would be difficult for any Republican candidate to win his party’s nomination in 2012 without opposing gay marriage.

Just one more reason why the Republican Party is increasingly, a southern regional party.

Here's the link: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/4/30/725317/-GOP-Losing-On-Favorite-Wedge-Issue

The First of Many... Hopefully

A great beginning for the blog, with a thoroughly insane story of reactionary partisanship.

Local GOP cancel speech by Utah’s Republican governor because he’s too moderate.

"Joanne Voorhees, the chairwoman of the Kent County Republican party in Michigan, has "abruptly canceled" an upcoming fundraiser with Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr. (R). Voorhees "said that hosting the moderate Utah governor would mean abandoning the party's conservative principles.""

Here's the link: http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04/29/huntsman-moderate/

What's going to be happening around here..

This blog is going to be used as a repository of sorts. I'll be posting excerpts and linking to news stories, blog posts and other items that I feel relate to a theory called the "Republican Death Spiral." I'll have a longer explanation of the theory at some point, but for now here's the basic idea -- The Republican Party has seen many significant losses in the last few years. It has moved more to the right, and in the process has lost many moderates. As a response, many GOPers are calling for more conservative purity, thinking that it will be the way to reclaim the national majority. While this strategy pays off well in increasingly shrinking Republican Primaries, it is disastrous in general elections. Thus, the GOP becomes more and more conservative, playing to the base and railing against perceived socialist threats, while the general population becomes increasingly liberal, which further marginalizes the party.

I'll post some examples and a longer explanation at some point, but that right there is the basic idea.