I haven't been following the thread but to answer the original question, I think perhaps the time has come for the ascendancy of parties other than the Democrats or Republicans. Neither of the major parties in my opinion represents the mainstream anymore. The day after the November election I switched my party affiliation from Republican to Libertarian. I do not hold all of the beliefs of the Libertarian Party, but the Republican Party became so distant from from it's former core beliefs, that I could no longer in good conscience consider myself with them.