Liberty Expose: The Fracturing: The Disorganized Republican VS The Unified Democrats

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In American politics, this is no more important institution than the Republican and Democratic Parties. One could not observe the different states these two parties are in. One seems organized, and the other is held by a threat. When looking deeper at the Republican Party, as an insider, there seems to be clear fracturing that is ultimately hurting their ability to be as effective as they should be. At the same time, it seemed that the left was able to collect constituents and rally behind any cause.

The Republican Party is fractured into a countless number of different identities. From the moderates to the socially conservative, libertarians, moderates, anti-Trumpers, the Republican Party seemingly is split in many more ways then its opposition. Even though it would seem that these groups are fairly aligned, there is a tremendous amount of disagreement.

In reality, these trials have occurred once before. There have been moments in history that have caused a major divide within the Republican Party, one such occurrence being after President Nixon’s Watergate scandal. This event caused fracturing in the Republican Party, which left them disorganized and with bad publicity for the next decade. A similar phenomenon occurred when Donald Trump won the presidential election in 2016 and his action for those four year. Vast portions of the Republican Party came out and asserted themselves as never Trump’s and would dedicate much of their time to supposed traditional, conservative values and negative rhetoric towards the president. Donald Trump is essentially the incumbent candidate; he garnered 60% of the Republican vote, which still leaves a massive 40% that is not supported by him. Only proving that the leadership of the party is weak in its ability to unify around a singular candidate.

For members on the right, this can seem frustrating to witness the constraint in fighting that accuser between Republicans. While in reality they may agree on 95 presents of all issues, it is  those 5 presents that can be the catalyst for arguments and debate.

Much of this divide comes from certain policy positions where individuals on the right have shifted their positions over the past several decades, siding more with liberal policy. Gay marriage is one of the most easily recognized. Originally, the majority of the country held the idea that marriage was only between a man and a woman; today, about half of Republicans are in support of gay marriage. War and the involvement of the United States in other countries are another argument that divides conservatives. Particularly involving Ukraine, whether or not to continue funding billions of dollars of equipment and weaponry, or whether or not America should be responsible for spreading democracy around the world. Recently, the multiple threats of government shutdowns have caused more contention amongst Republicans. One side wanted to stand up for its principles, while the other was thinking about the negative ramifications in the long run, hurting the perception of the party. Either way, there are two separate goals that are having to be juggled, particularly by Kevin McCarthy. This is not to say that having disagreements within the party is a negative thing; however, the Democrats have the ability to forgo some of their principles for the greater good of the party.

This was particularly true while Nancy Pelosi was the speaker of the house. Under her leadership, she was able to bring the Democratic Party together on many issues to help further their agenda. In this way, she was one of the most effective leaders of the Democratic Party. The Republican Party, and certainly not the current speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, are capable of that kind of unification. This has been shown in the current debates over government spending or the impeachment of Joe Biden. Even while holding a slim majority in the house, Kevin McCarthy had to resort to directing the house to open an impeachment against Joe Biden. Within each decision the house undertakes, there are threats of ousting Kevin McCarthy. This type of rhetoric would not be tolerated under Democratic control headed by Nancy Pelosi.

It is important to understand what the purpose of the party system is. It is not about policy, as many would believe, but a vehicle for victory. The Republican Party has lost its whole philosophy and instead has become purely reactionary politics. The core concept of individuality is one of the conservative greatest strengths and its greatest weaknesses. While personal freedom and liberty are necessary, it does not operate well to bring those together to support a common cause.

The way in which Republicans can start remedying themselves out of this predicament is by accepting some of the tactics demonstrated by the Democratic Party. One of which is their willingness to take small victories when they come. Republicans carry the approach of an all-or-nothing strategy, while the left is willing to piecemeal its agenda slowly over time. A gradual progression of more conservative principles will not only lead Republicans down the path of more conservative policy but will actually give them an opportunity to celebrate their victories. Be willing to make compromises with individuals in your own party, and know that while you might not receive the most conservative policy, it is a step in the proper direction.

Over the past several years, the Republican Party has demonstrated that it is, in many ways, fractured and unorganized. While not its first occurrence in history, it will require the party to make serious changes in its rhetoric and proper leadership to bring individuals with different perspectives to the negotiating table. The Democratic Party has proven itself capable of this. Without properly understanding the purpose of the Republican Party, they will never become effective in implementing the policies Americans desperately need.