[TheRealThing]

I agree with most of what you said above, Beetle. However, I see no reason to abandon the Second Amendment or any other Constitutional right. There is no reason for a presidential candidate to dwell on the abortion issue, but Romney did not do so. As for religion, I did not hear Romney making religious issues a part of his campaign. (The Democrats ran a whisper campaign accusing Romney of being a member of a cult.)

Where I agree with you is that Republicans need to adopt part of the Libertarian Party's core philosophy, but they need to do so while avoiding totally alienating the religious right. Free markets generate jobs and free markets are at the core of libertarian beliefs. Jobs, jobs, jobs should be the Republicans' message every time any of their candidates step in front of a microphone.

Another area where I think that Republicans can lure people away from the nanny stater Democratic Party is to take the lead in liberalizing drug laws. People should not be jailed for possessing and using drugs of any kind. They should be nailed to the wall if they commit any violent crime while under the influence of those drugs or if they provide drugs to children of any age. Republican candidates should campaign in the inner cities and promise to release non-violent drug offenders and put away violent offenders for even longer sentences. This position would be a tough sell to the religious right, but I believe that the case can be made to them.

Softening the nation's laws on drug use could be used to help sell an overall program of more personal liberty, more personal accountability, and a smaller, less intrusive federal government.

^I hope this never happens. Cops, prosecuters and judges can make determinations about whether the users that pass through on their watch are a danger to the community or not, and act accordingly. But to legalize drug use strikes me the same as crying uncle. I can assure you parents who don't want their kids getting involved with drugs are not for legalizing drugs because of the enhanced likelihood of exposure. Not everybody can rationalize the notion of softening our national stance on drug abuse away quite so neatly. There are many hundreds of thousands (more likely millions) of kids, who being exposed to the use of so-called recreational drugs, will wind up a destroyed shell of what they were capable of becoming because they will get hooked on something more sinister than pot. On a personal note, I hung with the dopers for several years and I can tell you first hand the effects on those that use them are never neutral. There are only two possiblities for the drug user, he will have a moment of recoginition, be scared straight and quit, cold turkey and for good, or he will suffer harm and loss in every area of his life.