Ohio Republican Senator George Voinovich has declared that the Southernization of the GOP is detrimental to the future of the party.
In this, he is absolutely correct! He mentions specifically that when South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint and Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn speak, it loses national support for the Republicans.
It is not just the Southern background of these senators, as there are a large number of Southern senators who are seen as reputable. It is the fact that SOME GOP senators from the South are Neanderthals in their outlook on government and policy making in domestic and foreign affairs, including DeMint and Coburn.
Of course, there are other issues that cause grief for the GOP, but Senator Voinovich has certainly made it clear that the growing regionalization of the GOP is a prescription for long range disaster.