R-E-L-A-X

From, like, a whole wk. ago, when things were entirely different, some of that long-term perspective so lacking in sheep panicked by a wind-tossed leaf, loud noise, or recent election:

In fact, the Republican Party hasn’t managed to string together three successful elections since the 2000-2002-2004 political cycles.

[...]

Assuming that the Democrats replicate their 2012 electoral success with minority voters two years from now, and assuming that Hispanics grow as a percentage of the overall electorate, which they will, we calculate that Democrats will already have almost half (24 percent) of the votes they need to win a majority of Americans in 2016. To win 50.1 percent of the popular vote, we estimate, Republicans will need nearly 64 percent of the white vote — which would be a record for a non-incumbent Republican presidential candidate. Remember, Mitt Romney and John McCain won 59 percent and 55 percent of the white vote, respectively; and even in victory, George W. Bush took only 58 percent of the white vote in 2004. With the exception of candidates such as Govs. Susana Martinez of New Mexico and Brian Sandoval of Nevada, Republicans have hardly focused on courting minority votes in 2014.

Further, there is little evidence that GOP prospects are improving with younger voters, especially younger women. We can no longer depend on voters 45 and older to carry Republican candidates to victory (Romney won voters 40 and older, but still lost the election.)

Remember, close to one percent of the American population dies every yr. Guess which party's voters are well represented in the morbidity cohort.

Do not, however, let a couple of paragraphs that face a grim reality fool you into the delusion that Republicans aren't still deluded jerks; it's their essential nature:

Given that Harry Reid’s Senate is now where bills go to die, there is no question that Obama will spend the next two years making a lot more “sign or veto” decisions before playing his next 18 holes.

Still w/ the golf schtick? Not just jerks, un-amusing jerks.

And the delusion:

It means we get to become the party of new ideas and responsible leadership.

Republican governors have incubated new policy ideas that have transformed their states into business-friendly environments that will create jobs. More broadly, they have cut taxes and debt, improved the quality of education by providing more choices, and streamlined the delivery of state services.

We have got to be able to point to how those policies and ideas help America’s middle class. If we can undercut the Democrats’ message that the GOP is only for the rich, there won’t be much left for them to offer in 2016.

"Streamlined." That's a good one, but the best is the tacit admission that no matter the local vote, even the American flock think they're loons & please don't screw it up new Congress.

It is crucial that Americans have confidence in our ability to provide responsible leadership ...

[...]

And the new GOP-led Congress will need to show it, too.

Also notable is non-mention of social issues beyond noting this:

Our focus groups and open-ended questions in polls find that voters unhappy with the GOP think the party is living in the past.

Watch out 19th Century, they're catching up!

Perspective provided by partners in the Republican political and public affairs research firm Public Opinion Strategies.Unfortunate acronym, innit?