Why is the Republican Party so divided?

Republicans all lie – they lie to the country, but they lie constantly to each other. Everything republicans do is another lie or a lie to cover up the last lie they told. And it’s hard to get together when you have this level as utter assholishness and crookedness.

All parties always have various wings and strains within them. The Republicans are neither unique or unusual in this regard. Their current factions are mainly in the so called Freedom Caucus/Tea Party wing vs what that group derisively calls the Establishment wing, which seems to be a euphemism for moderates.

You can pick several starting points for this fracture…you could probably go clear back to Barry Goldwater if you really wanted. You could cite Pat Buchanon and his nativist movement. But the more recent wave seems to begin with the Tea Party.

The Tea Party began in the later stages of the second Bush administration as an anti-spending revolt against Bush who was a very spendthrift President. It strengthened as an opposing faction to Barack Obama. The Tea Party’s favorite tactic, rather than challenging Democrats, is to enforce ideological purity on Republicans by challenging moderate Republicans with far right challengers in the primaries. This tactic tends to drive moderates tot he right, but also results in fewer Republicans being elected as these moderate Republicans are often in very purple districts.

At some point, the Tea Party merged with the GOPs nativist wing, or got taken over by it. And during the Obama era, these Republicans in congress started calling themselves the Freedom Caucus, which is egotistical, but catchy. High profile members like Ted Cruz began driving leadership to self-destructive tactics like government shutdowns rather than accept modest, slow progress.

And that is important because progress in politics tends to be exactly that. You seldom get to radically remake the status quo in one fell swoop. More often, you have to make incremental progress. Painstakingly moving the status quo bit by bit. The Democrats have been masters of this Long Con for close to a century. It’s why they are winning. The Republicans meanwhile seem unwilling to do the same, and the Tea Party is part of why.

It’s almost as if there are five parties subset within the two major parties.

Mainstream Democrats are more in line with progressive politics. ie Sanders.

Establishment Democrats are pro-corporate and in congress. Out of touch with their base.

On the right, there are tuesday group moderate Republicans and RINOs (branded by mainstream conservatives)

Mainstream conservatives – Reagan style Republicans

Then there are the Nationalists and freedom caucus on the right edge.

I think the parties should break up into several smaller factions. Then, the two main parties would be progs and cons with the other groups fighting for third fiddle.

~Aizen

Trump divided it.

The Democrat Party should also be divided. This one party against the other means that you just have two teams in fox holes hurling grenades at each other with Americans inbetween.

America is divided

Diversity divides

The Republican Party is so divided because of establishment RINO Republicans in congress.

They talk big but cave into democrat pressure. John McCain is the RINO leader.

These RINO’s are afraid of the lib media which is a big problem dividing the GOP too.

Trump is the first Republican since Reagan that is not afraid to fight the establishment or the biased media.