DEBATE IN SOUTH CAROLINA REVEALS GOP SCHISMS

Published: January 10, 2008, 11:28 pm

More than any other forum, this debate in South Carolina revealed the growing divisions in the Republican party and highlighted the extraordinarily difficult task that confronts the future nominee. Here is the conumdrum facing the GOP; an awakened social conservative wing whose emergence frightens the Republican establishment and the smaller but influential libertarian conservative faction. A fiscal conservative wing of the party, bruised and battered by 8 years of non-conservative governance supporting McCain and Romney mostly by default given the alternative offered of big government conservative Huckabee. And foreign policy hawks – neocons as well as traditional conservatives – who like McCain but dislike his immigration stand. Romney is the only frontrunner who can lay claim to even partially bridging the gaps in the old GOP coalition that has brought Republicans victory so often for the last 30 years. But social conservatives don’t trust his recent

[ Full article ]

Blog link

Comments