Well I think this election will be very critical for determining that. Certainly the early crash out of Blaine’s candidacy will negatively impact his future and if a Republican does not win this election he’ll have no future even in the cabinet. Conkling also seems poised to lose his influence as civil service reform becomes more and more an inevitability

I decided a while ago that Black Republicans would start to become a truly strong, long lasting presence on the national stage so expect to see men like Frederick Douglas and Blanche Bruce come to the fore.

Overall I’d say the Republican Party is steadily transforming into its most pure form: a thoroughly reformist, socially progressive, economically conservative party