IN RETROSPECT

Now that we have had almost a week to mull over the election results, I have found it interesting to read a variety of pundits.

The old guard of what might be termed "Country Club Republicans" believes that the political agenda was not conservative enough and preaches even more of "same old, same old": more tax breaks for business and protection of the ultra rich; solve every problem by encouraging business and the rest will take care of itself.  The more things change, the more they are the same...

The more astute pundits look beyond the same old answers and point out that the Republican Party, for the most part, is a collection of older white men which does not reach out to expand its base, both ethnically and genderwise.  Obviously, it was not a majority of whites who reelected the President but the "rainbow blend": some whites and a helluva lot of Blacks and Hispanics, not to mention a broad crosssection of women, especially younger ones. Add in a brilliant stratagem of targeting precisely independent voters and getting them out to vote.

Perhaps the Republican Party is too stubborn to change, but I can't believe, with young Turks like Marco Rubio waiting in the wings for showtime, that they won't change. A changing of the guard is bound to occur, unless their feet are set in concrete.

The next few months are going to be fascinating as the two parties circle each other and try to reach a compromise--- in each one's favor. Certainly the election has strengthened the President's hand, but you can be sure that John Boehner, Mitch McConnell and G.O.P. stalwarts will push the fiscal cliff and other economic problems to the max.

America, with brief exceptions, has been a two-party political system. Is it time for a truly viable third party, representing the moderates of this country, rejecting the extremes of the current two parties? Perhaps it might grow spontaneously without intent as a result of the forthcoming struggle to find a way out of our economic morass.

The old Chinese curse is applicable here: may you live in interesting times.