The Republican Party is in an upheaval and their brewing civil war could cost them everything in the 2012 election.
Apparently, the Republican Party is the last to realize it is no longer just one party, but a series of factions that make up one party. There are the fiscal conservatives, the social conservatives, the evangelical Christians, the Right-to-Lifers, the Tea Party and more, with each having their own agenda, their own candidate and their own road map to the White House. But with so many differing views under one umbrella, the GOP will be hard pressed to find common ground. And therein lies the problem.
The old guard of the Republican Party is ready to get behind Mitt Romney as their candidate. But the evangelical Christian wing of the party simply will not back a Mormon for president, as Dallas pastor Robert Jeffress proved when he openly dismissed Romney in favor of Texas governor Rick Perry. And every other wing of the Republican Party has made their presence known via a variety of candidates, since every week seems to present a new Republican front runner.
In addition to being Mormon, Romney is not respected as a legitimate conservative and is often considered a liberal in conservative clothing, which of course doesn’t sit will with the GOP position. Many within the party are furious with Romney for his health care plan while governor of Massachusetts, which is almost exactly like the plan President Obama put forth. If Romney is the nominee, Republicans will be disabled from using “Obama-Care” as a divisive element in the general election.
Then there’s Rick Perry, who has considered pulling out of all future GOP debates due to his poor performance in them. Republicans recognize they will have a hard time putting Rick Perry up against a skilled debater in Barack Obama in a general election. They are also aware that Perry’s one-time effort to have Texas secede from the United States will be powerful ammunition for the Democrats who will question his commitment to being president.
The Republican Party is so splintered, it’s difficult to imagine how they’ve managed to function as one unit. And it’s difficult to imagine how they will unify and select 1 nominee from their current batch of candidates. But regardless, someone has to win. And for all the others left standing, it will be interesting to see how the party moves forward for the future.
DJ you're title is much too kind.The Great Republican Implosion or Crack-Up (as I see it) is nothing short of an embarrasing colossal Hot Mess with NO END in sight.As if all the nonsense within the GOP (already being played out very publicly) isn't enough, there are THESE little goodies making the blogosphere rounds this morning:1. Several sites have posted a video of Perry giving a rather "bizarre" speech when he appeared at a New Hampshire Republican event this past Friday evening. If you ask me he looks, and sounds, drunk. "Rick Perry's Bizarre New Hampshire Speech"Video: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/67196.h…2. And then there's George Will's very public smack-down of "Mitt Romney, the Pretzel Candidate" in the Washingtpon Post over the weekend: Read: <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/mitt-romney-the-pretzel-candidate/2011/10/28/gIQAPEQ8PM_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/mitt-romne… />Related to THAT story, the Right-wing site, Redstate.com seems to have done Pres. Obama a HUGE favor by posting a pretty thorough list of Mitt's Greatest FLIPS: Read: http://www.redstate.com/erick/files/2011/10/FLIPF… And THEN you have THIS…..3. Last night Politico "broke" the following story: "Exclusive: 2 women accused Cain of inappropriate behavior"Read: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/67194.h…IF the story is True(?) these "allegations"… Read more »