Many commentators have been suggesting recently that the
Republican Party is actually two parties. The problem with
this analysis is that there are so many different suggested pairs
of the Party’s identity.
Some say the GOP is split between Tea Party devotees and
establishment conservatives. Others say the division is between
social conservatives and economic conservatives. Still others
see the two groups as rural Republicans and urban/suburban
Republicans. Some analyze the GOP as differing by regions
(in which case there are four parties). There are those who say
that today’s GOP is divided between rich voters and blue collar
(“Reagan Republican”) voters. One more theory has it that the
major difference is between young Republicans and older
Republicans.
There is some truth to each of these analyses, and if this is so,
there are more than a dozen overlapping large factions in the
Republican Party, and that does not further divide GOP voters
by specific issues (in which case there are almost a hundred
identifiable factions).
With so many factions and so many divisions, how will it be
possible for the American conservative party to win a national
election?
I suggest that as long as the various elected officials, spokespersons,
radio hosts, TV personalities and political consultants emphasize,
shout, focus on exclusively, and obsess about their differences, and
insist on them, they are very unlikely to win back control of both
bodies of the Congress, and later, the White House.
The best way to win elections is for a political party to figure what
its members agree about.
A political party that does not want to win elections is not fit
to govern, no matter what their written or stated policy principles.
Winning isn’t everything, differing opinions always exist in any
group, but not winning is not governing. It’s that simple.
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Copyright (c) 2013 by Barry Casselman. All rights reserved.
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