2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumCould Republican Women Lead The Creation of a New Center Right Party?
There are many Republicans who would feel very much at home in Trump-centric/White Nationalist party. Rudy G., Ted Cruz, Darrell Issa, Sarah Palin, Ann Coulter, Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, Pat Buchanan, Sean Hannity, etc.
However, there are many Republicans who probably would not fit in such a party: Meg Whitman, Olympia Snowe, David Brooks, Paul Ryan, David Frum, Charlie Crist, Megyn Kelley, and George Will.
I really do not see these sides easily coalescing following the 2016 election, particularly since the Trump wing of the party has been relentless in attacking Establishment Republicans. Also, the Trump wing party revels in mysogyny, which probably really turns off folks like Meg Whitman and Megyn Kelley who are clearly conservative in a low tax/no regulation sort of way.
Proud Public Servant
(2,097 posts)Between the Trump and Ryan wings of the party. And while that seems like good news for us, you'll recall that the last time a major party split in two, the GOP was born.
Of course, the alternative is a massive influx of moderate Republicans into the Democratic party. Good for our numbers, but bad for our ideological lean.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)the balls of a field mouse. He's staying in his hole.
pressbox69
(2,252 posts)...Ayn Rand.
Zing Zing Zingbah
(6,496 posts)Snowe isn't a senator anymore, but I think she has been working on trying make Washington more functional with some bipartisan policy committee. Susan Collins is also one to add that list of the reasonable Republicans.
Quantess
(27,630 posts)A woman leading a center-right party...
Be careful what you wish for, because you're gonna get it in January.
forjusticethunders
(1,151 posts)Yeah there are probably 100 or so Republican Congresspeople who would love to go back to at the very least Bush-era conservatism, or even further. But there is no base for it. Most of the Republican base is for Trump. Granted, a lot less than was for Mitt, but still most. Right now, George W Bush is in "RINO" land, and Jeb! and HW are even deeper in exile among movement conservatives. Furthermore, where's the public appetite for Ryan's ideological lean when about half or more of the public is somewhere between Bernie and Hillary on average, with more people who are to the left of BOTH of them hitting voting age every year? The only thing really stopping the Dems is their midterm struggles.
Conservatism is a dead ideology walking. It's honestly like the USSR circa 1983 - it still has the capability to destroy the world, but it's also collapsing under the weight of its own contradictions.