Who you pick would depend on the type of coalition you are trying to build. If you intend on rebuilding Reagan's coalition then you'll have to spend a Weekend at Ronnie's because nobody else can put that scrambled egg back together again. Starting from scratch, you would have to start in the South since that's all that's left of the current GOP and branch out. A populist social conservative could solidify that base, but it would have to be someone who doesn't get Wall Street's panties in a wad and who doesn't alienate the somewhat secular suburbanites. Mike Huckabee could be the GOP point person, but he couldn't be the candidate - that will naturally flow from any Obama missteps. Until Obama screws up the shape of the opposition will be in flux, necessarily, so we won't know how the GOP should proceed until then. In the meantime, Huckabee probably gives them the best chance to position themselves to take advantage of any opportunity that Obama gives them.

Who does Obama piss off? That'll show you how to oppose him. If Obama is smart, when he has to make a hard choice, he'll piss off those who are least likely to coexist with the xenophobic GOP base. Obama being who he is, he'll probably end up making the choice that works best and letting the electoral consequences fall where they may.

The Underground Railroad

The only one that made me worry in the primaries was Huckabee.

I know his positions on just about everything are evil, but you can't help but like the guy. And he's funny, appears to listen to people and seems to care about the poor, etc. He didn't come off as the usual corporate crook, you know.

The question seems to imply that among the people in a position to make such a decision, there exists a significantly influential person or bloc that is even capable of taking a long-term, objective strategic view of what is good for the party as a whole. I seriously doubt this is the case.

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Chuck Hagel, Mayor Bloomberg, Newt Gingrich? Mebbee? A li'l?

I know it wasn't the question, but certainly the most capable of returning the GOP to power are Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.

Declaring the bottom is the only way back up..

You shouldn't have to wait for long....the Rethug Handlers will no doubt come up with some unknown who will appear, carrying impeccable 'credentials' and have the necessary 'lineage' to satisfy the neo-monarchists of his (and yes, he'll be male, and white)"right" to ascend to the Nomination....whether it be for Congress, Senate, or the next Presidential run.

Never mind the poor fool will be essentially an empty suit.  Bush was an archetype--it's not the man, it's the presentation.

I'm probably wrong, but my fear throughout the last part of this electoral cycle was that Rove's people would drive out enough of the McCain people, to finally get their presentation and message straight.  Had that happened, the election might have been a lot closer than it turned out.

Thank my left pinky toe for small favours......

"The invisible hand of Adam Smith seems to offer an extended middle finger to an awful lot of people"---George Carlin

you can't get there from here.

-------- 2liberal

Newt Gingrich. Not necessarily as a candidate, but as a strategist.

Wether you 'fear' him is unimportant. He can lie and deceive enough to fool the public into believing Republicans can govern. The Republicans need someone just like him.

The fact is that balanced budgets and lower taxes are still an argument that can resonate with a large amount of people. Throw in just the right amount of sanctimonious blather about the moral decline of America (coupled with economic hard times), then sprinkle a certain level of racial 'they are taking over', and they can win the White House back.

The trick that the Republicans have of wrecking the country while in power and then blaming the following Democratic administration WORKS.

However, none of it will matter if Obama can have even a mediocre term in office. But I have my doubts he can even reach that level. Obama is stuck with Pelosi and Reid, and he has appointed a slue of 'go  along to get along' Senators and House members who have very little incentive to rock the boat in the way it needs to be rocked.

As long as Obama keeps them in the game, the Republicans can win again. And Obama has lead me to believe that he not only wants them in the game, he wants them to be handling the ball.

nalbar

Alan Simpson. He ain't dead yet.
Maybe Arnold

watch that Rep. Cantor fella.

Well, "You can't vote for war and disown the results"

She most accurately represents Republican morals, honesty, vision, priorities, and values.

God, that reads funny.

Bobby Jindal. Just take a look at his website. A campaign website that's being regularly updated in the month after an election is the website of somebody who's planning to move up the foodchain.

I attended an extremely creepy discussion last summer in SF with a panel of hardcore Republican ideologues discussing how the GOP could reclaim its standing. They, of course, blamed the party's woes on a failure to adhere strongly enough to conservative principles, and they bitched mightily about W and Arnold and other RINOs. Their take was that the future of the conservative movement lies with committed conservatives like Tom McClintock (who just edged out Carlie Brown in CA-04) and Bobby Jindal. Of the two, I think Jindal is by far the more appealing on almost every level. I don't think he'll make a move in 2012 unless something very bad happens to Democrats, but I think he's poised to be very strong in '16. He's going to sound and look reasonable, he's not going to carry any baggage from the Bush Administration, and he's going to be a fresh and attractive face with "new" ideas. I think he's pretty damn scary.

If they had brains, and that's a big if, they'd pursue someone like Governor Jodi Rell, despite her lack of name recognition.  

Oh, there you are, Perry. -Phineas -SLB-

I'd like to see them double down on GW Bush.

FDR's response to progressive demands: "I agree. Now go out and make me do it."

Give the country four years of depression and GOP obstructionism. The voters will lose Bush fatigue and Jeb will look pretty attractive.