How the nation will end up if the Republicans go unopposed

This, plain and simple, will be the end for American Democracy.

Elitism/Theocracy maintained by a one Party State.

Elitism - The nation will be ruled by the Wealthy and the Important people. Social Security will benefit the Elite. Health Care will benefit the Elite. Basically the nation will bend to will of the Rich and the big Corporations.
Steve Kangas had called this the Overclass.

But, what will keep the common people in line?

Religion. People are told if they are good worshippers, they will be happy in the next life. Now, while I believe in an afterlife, I do not use that as an excuse to not improve this current one. Religion will keep the non-Elite in line and stop any dissent. The Christian Right will continue to get money from the Republicans to keep on saying "Don't worry, you will be happy in the next life". Simply put, religion will stop being a tool of hope, discussion, dialogue, and inspiration, it will become a tool to help the rich get richer.

This is why they must face a strong opposition, and they must be stopped as soon as possible.

No matter how strong the opposition is from Democrats in the House and Senate, they already know they are going to win. They've fixed the rules, the power grab is complete.

I'm one of those who has been calling for Dems in govt. to abstain from any votes. If Republicans are denied the whipping boy they need, how can they make the ignorant sheep believe that they had to fight opposition from the 'loony left'? They will have to own the destruction they unleash on the country.

Giving them enough rope to hang themselves might be the only chance we have of getting America to wake the fuck up.

-chef-

Because the social fabric would tear to pieces. Nearly half of Americans are not very religious -- a lot (anyone got the numbers?) are not religious at all. You can't keep the whole (or even much more than 50%) of the pop down with the god-stuff.

Not to mention that pop culture ain't gonna clean up its act in our lifetime. Not when sex still sells. (Can you really imagine a circumstance in which marketers are going to stop using sex to sell?)

And violence sells. And envy sells, and taboo-breaking, and etc., and etc.

With regard to Elitism -- it's here already. But, the elite feels no need to keep the people in complete thrall. In fact, doing so would make them less rich. Serfs aren't terribly productive versus a mostly-free public.

Nah, this isn't the way the world ends. Instead, we're all going to drown when the icecaps melt. Now THAT will end American Democracy.

is no more than a means of controlling people and exploiting them for money. Now even the smaller churches are falling into this trap as they move more and more into politics.

If the Dem party is put out of power far enough, they will have to abandon social liberalism, and re-adopt economic liberalism.

Hmmm. Would that mean that the Democratic Party might have to actually represent actual working class people, dirty hands, and all?

First Citizen & Prophet Incarnate

To reference another Heinlein work ("Waldo"), ". . . <you> must be OLD."

I wonder why the Republicans are never trying to inject religion into public education? </ignorant rhetorical question>

its the rule in western civilization, "democracy" (which has always been an ideal, never an actuality) would be the exception.

business as usual.

go re-read dune - control over the mob is what religion is for.

Bush and FoxNews get a lot of mileage out of bashing smart people for being smart. Their public face is anti-elitism.

Bush is just plain folks. Sure Kerry was smarter and won the debates, but that was just trickeration.

Them smart people said the world would end with global warming and it hasn't happened yet, has it?

Them smart people with their silly solar powered cars? I gotta hemi. You got a hemi in there?

Them smart people with their book learning and their evolution. It's just a theory, you know? They aint proved it. They have to PROVE it, or it's just a bunch of guesses by a bunch of people who hate God.

Better yet, read Upton Sinclair and Sinclair Lewis. Read Mark Twain and H.L. Mencken. We're headed back to the Gilded Age, also known as the Robber Baron era, ca. 1870-1929. Christianity was the de facto state religion of the United States (it had been since about 1820), and the rich ruled with an iron hand, sweatshops, strikebreakers, and the company store. We lived through it once, we can live through it again.

We are NOT headed for jackboots, goosestepping, and death camps. Because the Republicans don't want them. A return to 1880 or 1890 will suit them nicely, thank you.