Republicans vs. Tea Party Sets 2016 Stage
If the theoretical moderate and average or “center right” Republicans want to stop the crazy then they are going to have to actually get out and vote in the primary elections and participate - otherwise they will remain at the mercy of the zealots.
In two CBS News polls this year we’ve asked whether Republicans in Congress should stick to their positions (even if that means Congress doesn’t get as much done) or should compromise. Majorities of Republican voters consistently say compromise, as do all Americans, but about a quarter say “stick to positions,” so we combined a couple of polls to get enough sample of them to examine.
They’re almost twice as likely as other Republicans to be tea party backers, three times more likely to call themselves “very” conservative (as opposed to just conservative or moderate) and they’re older - a hallmark of the primary electorate, especially in midterms.