Who owns the Republican Party

[ttechdallas]

For lack of a better word, who exactly "owns" the Republican party? It's hard to tell based on so many conservative's reactions to the Trump nomination.

"Not real Republicans", "RINO's", "closet liberals" just for disagreeing on single conservative point. I've even seen this leveled at Cruz supporters who have stated they will vote for Trump in the general election.

By this exclusive definition of Republicanism, this party is dead. Maybe its not a big deal and this is the minority. But it increasingly seems like they are the loudest.

The majority of Republicans support Trump over Cruz. The only way you can make that a false statement is to redefine Republican in terms that would eliminate enough votes that Cruz would have won more.

Therein lies a very big challenge and the problem is not Donald Trump nor those who support him.

[texansfan]

Republican != Tea party / Constitutionalist

You should ask, what IS a "Republican"?

Can a "Republican" be FOR abortion? Or is it a criterion that all "Republicans" be against abortion at all levels?

[flatlander]

For lack of a better word, who exactly "owns" the Republican party? It's hard to tell based on so many conservative's reactions to the Trump nomination.

"Not real Republicans", "RINO's", "closet liberals" just for disagreeing on single conservative point. I've even seen this leveled at Cruz supporters who have stated they will vote for Trump in the general election.

By this exclusive definition of Republicanism, this party is dead. Maybe its not a big deal and this is the minority. But it increasingly seems like they are the loudest.

The majority of Republicans support Trump over Cruz. The only way you can make that a false statement is to redefine Republican in terms that would eliminate enough votes that Cruz would have won more.

Therein lies a very big challenge and the problem is not Donald Trump nor those who support him.

Trump won most of his races in liberal states with open primaries, he was selected as the GOP candidate by people who wouldn't normally vote in a republican election. Most agree that Trump is more liberal than conservative.


The problem you are seeing is that Trump is bringing in liberal and centrist votes while us conservatives have no dog in the fight anymore. The Republican party keeps trying to move to the supposedly great 'middle of the road' when that is what cost us the last two elections, and will probably cost us this one.

[texansfan]

Anyway, time to go drink brews in The Woodlands
my buddy has passes to that Insperity golf thigamabob today and this is a great chance to "rub elbows"

[texansfan]

Trump won most of his races in liberal states with open primaries, he was selected as the GOP candidate by people who wouldn't normally vote in a republican election.

South Carolina???
Louisiana???
Alabama???
Kentucky???

LoL
Trump KILLED IT in SEC country
Get off it
Cruz lost
Let's move forward

[flatlander]

South Carolina???
Louisiana???
Alabama???
Kentucky???

LoL
Trump KILLED IT in SEC country
Get off it
Cruz lost
Let's move forward

Mostly open primaries.

SC is very conservative, but also an open primary. Trump brought in the slightly less liberal than Hillary people. And the Trumpublicans are good with that only because he won.

Why is it so hard for Republicans to get behind a conservative? The GOP candidate is as liberal as the Democrat that everybody is so scared of.

[LWC]

You see who is posing these questions. We only need BB and TT to chime in and we will have liberal "republican" quartet.

[Tommyh]

Republican != Tea party / Constitutionalist

You should ask, what IS a "Republican"?

Can a "Republican" be FOR abortion? Or is it a criterion that all "Republicans" be against abortion at all levels?

republicans including social issues into the party planks was the beginning of the downward spiral for the party. there is no way to out democrat a democrat, and that is where this is all leading.

[Tommyh]

Mostly open primaries.

SC is very conservative, but also an open primary. Trump brought in the slightly less liberal than Hillary people. And the Trumpublicans are good with that only because he won.

Why is it so hard for Republicans to get behind a conservative? The GOP candidate is as liberal as the Democrat that everybody is so scared of.

people vote based on who is "electable" or "going to be a winner" over the beliefs of theirs or their parties. no one wants to nominate a loser, and the MSM has been beating that mantra into the voting public for a long long time.

[flatlander]

republicans including social issues into the party planks was the beginning of the downward spiral for the party. there is no way to out democrat a democrat, and that is where this is all leading.

Explain to me when that spiral started?

The first social issue I can think of that the Republicans took up was a great cause, the US had to fight a war for the Republicans to get it done, but in the end the slaves were free and the US healed and moved on.

Conservatives need to stop buying the liberal agenda that social issues are bad most people still agree with basic Christian principles. We should run on family values and fiscal responsibility.

[flatlander]

people vote based on who the media claims is "electable" or "going to be a winner" over the beliefs of theirs or their parties. no one wants to nominate a loser, and the MSM has been beating that mantra into the voting public for a long long time.

Fixed it for you.

The media in the US has wrongly convinced the voting public that all our neighbors are flaming liberal crossdressing homos driving a Prius on the way to a HRC rally.

[Artos]

Why is it so hard for Republicans to get behind a conservative? The GOP candidate is as liberal as the Democrat that everybody is so scared of.

Again, because too many people are basing their candidate choice off of emotion & not facts...we never would have gotten Obama if this was the case. Both Obama & Trump campaigned under the guise of what folks needed & wanted to hear vs. what their past history showed for their true colors.

It is what it is...

[Shane]

Big government moderates own the Republican Party.

[Tmag]

This guy! Paid a pretty penny for it too!

[jerp]

I do think we need to retire the term RINO. It started out as a simple way to label a Republican who is less conservative than you are. If the majority of the party is now populist, then wouldn't that have to flip? Wouldn't a conservative - now in the minority - be the RINO? The party is incredibly fractured, there is no consensus and there is so much infighting, there is no telling what the party will morph into over the next few years. Blowing it up and starting over might be a great thing but it is also fraught with danger.