New Party

Assuming that the Republican Party collapsed, there would obviously be a void on the conservative or right side of the political spectrum. Given that there is a large support base for this type of party, I think it would only make sense to try and capture this with my new party. However, I would try to design an even bigger “tent” party than the Republican support base, to appeal to the average or ‘median’ voter. As small parties with specific policy positions have little chance for influence in the U.S. political system, I would try to keep my party away from extreme ideologies. The political platform would focus on more general issues that greater numbers of people would want to support. I would focus on national security and emphasize responsible government spending and tax cuts. Additionally, I would emphasize more current issues, such as renewable energy and environmental protection. The party ideology would emphasize and support free markets/business, but would also focus on providing social protections and services (unemployment and welfare services, social security, etc.)
I would still emphasize a religious base, but would try not to design the party ideology around moral principles. Thus, my party would not have a strong stance on issues such as gay marriage, which can cause a lot of divisions and lost support for the party. With a more open and widespread platform than the two major parties in the U.S., I would try and compete for the swing voters, and even bring Democrats over to my new party. The idea would be to paint the Democrats as too far left, so the new party would be the choice of the “average” American. Thus, the party’s base could cover most of the southern states, but I would also target the more divided states, such as Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina, Florida and Montana.
Party leaders would be chosen and assigned based on their performance and loyalty to the party program. Members who stray from the party will not be granted incentives (campaign funds, leadership assignments). Incumbency would not guarantee leadership positions. The party in government would include younger members as well as minorities, something the Republicans clearly lacked in the 2008 election. This would obviously be a more moderate party with a moderate voting bloc, leaving out the extreme sides of the spectrum. I think an even broader party could have a place in the U.S. It may not be best for conditions of democracy, but these types of parties have worked in other countries, especially with proportional representation voting systems. A party smaller than either the democrats or republicans doesn’t seem that it would go very far to me, just because of the large numbers of potential supporters that they may exclude.