They hold the House and are likely to win back the Senate this year so I don't get the "continue to lose" nonsense. And I don't think gay marriage and pot are going to make or break any election any time soon.  
   
 I agree the spending IS a problem but not for the reasons the authors site. Spending isn't a political issue as much as it is a economic, existential one as the debt is going to kill the social safety net eventually.  
   
 Americans SAY they want less gov't spending, as long as it is not coming form their pocket in the form of higher taxes or lower benefits. Sadly, there isn't really a political downside to acting fiscally irresponsible and in fact, I would argue the opposite to be true.  
   
 Hispanics are a very serious problem for R's. Blacks voted R until the 60's. Now its a 90/10 pro Dem split. If Hispanics go the 90/10 route, then yes, R's won't stand a chance in presidential elections in the future.  
   
 But as Irish and Italian immigrants voted mainly D when they got to America, as they rose up the ladder into middle class stature and beyond, they voted R more and more. There has to be some serious Hispanic outreach in the next few years by conservatives or the electoral map will be suicide for R's.