re: #28 reine.de.tout

Turn it around … do we want the Malkins and Robert Stacy McCains of the world to define certain aspects of the GOP to the exclusion of others?

No, I can’t say that I would want that. The party gets to choose its candidates. I think this point from lawhawk:

That’s the thing. Party identification is self-identification. What makes someone a GOPer in the Northeast isn’t the same as what makes a GOPer in the South or West. Different issues, different leanings, and different demographics.

Trying to push one version on all politicians is just bad politics. You will end up with a much smaller party that has far less clout. It’s a prescription that will lead into the wilderness on a permanent basis.

…is the point. All politics is local. My impression is that the Republican party was far more unified in its policies twenty years ago, though.