Reply #26: of course not

[Two Americas]

60-70% of the public supports all of the traditional positions of the party on issues of power and economics, but that has been occluded by the "culture wars." It is because of the culture war issues that these big tent-small tent discussions even occur. There is a faction in the party that is always seeking to purge people on the culture war issues, or those deemed "too far left." They want to make the party into a Republican party on the true political issues of power and economics, and battle it out with the "morans" on culture war issues. Since that is all about personal positions and stances, it becomes more of a religious movement than a political movement, and people talk about it as though we were trying to convert true believers and eliminate heretics.

The tent is not big enough, but that is because the party does not have a solid foundation of political principle to stand on anymore, and because a dominant faction within the party sees the party as a spiritual rather than political movement. I suspect that we are witnessing the last gasp effort of that faction, and will soon see the collapse of their movement. It cannot come soon enough, in my opinion.