While I've seen a lot of complaints on this site about the media's constant harping on the "Democrats are Doomed" meme, they are also pushing the (very true) narrative that sooner or later, the Republican Party is going to have to adjust it's messaging and issue positions if it wants to remain viable at the national level for the long term.
Personally, I don't think this change is coming anytime soon. It seems to me that the younger Republicans in Congress (aged, say, 35-55) are actually more conservative than their older colleagues. The John Boehners and John McCains of the world are being replaced by people like Paul Ryan and Ted Cruz, who could be in Congress for decades to come. Combine this with the fact that much of Republican caucus comes from the 15 or so states that aren't experiencing the same rate of changes in demographics and political attitudes in the rest of the country, and I think it spells long-term disaster for the GOP. That's not even counting the Republicans who come from swing or blue states, but represent districts that resemble Idaho.
It seems that a lot of commentators and talking heads think the Republicans are just on the verge of changing their ways, in 2016 or 2020 at most. But I don't agree. Generation X is not proving to be what everyone assumed as they reach middle age, particularly not those on the Republican side of the aisle. They're the ones who want to gut Medicare and Social Security, not the Boomers (well, for the most part). The younger Republicans also seem to be only just more diverse than the older generation, certainly not diverse enough to start appealing to minorities in the next few years. I'd be shocked if the Republicans were significantly further to the left in 2024, let alone in 2 or 6 years.
What do you think, DK? How long will it be before the Republican Party starts trending to the left, towards the direction the country is going in? Are is California a preview of what the US will look like politically in a few decades?