I used to know the various branches of the Republican Party, but I think that I lost track a while back. Adam NaGourney of the New York Times provided a list yesterday that brings me back up to speed..
Gone are the days when the Republican Party could easily (if simplistically) be divided into social conservatives versus fiscal conservatives. There are libertarian Republicans, Christian conservative Republicans, moderate Republicans, Wall Street Republicans, balanced-budget Republicans, tax-cutting Republicans, cut-the-size-of-government Republicans, neoconservative Republicans supporting global intervention and isolationist Republicans who would like to stay at home.
The differences are more obvious because the fights between them have to become more open when they pass or fail to pass legislation. That's because the Republicans dominate the government without any real competition and any legislation that passes is something those factions pretty much agree on. When the Republicans were in the minority or had real legislative competition, the source of successful legislation was less obvious since the Democrats had a lot more impact on it.
The distinctions are interesting, and perhaps a guide to how to peel off a few Republicans from the herd sometimes, the distinctions between them do not mean that they are going to be particularly less unified.
It’s an interesting article.
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