"How to Save the Republican Party"

[Lemur]

Yes, once upon a time in America there were liberals and conservatives in both parties. They even had moderates.

Not my point.

Moderate is only a relative term to describe candidates that may diverge slightly from the mainstream.

If you present me with two ideology-bound hard cases, it's silly to say "moderation lies between them." Nonsense. If anything, fanatics resemble each other more than anyone who seeks moderate, practical solutions.

The loons from the parties make noise when the other guy is in office. Both in leadership and rank and file. There are plenty on both sides.

I would argue that the current Republican party is, as I said, more beholden to its cranks and loons than is normal for a political party. Witness: birtherism, Benghazi trutherism, and the persistent misuse of the terms Socialist and Marxist. The people playing with these loony conspiracy theories are not restricted to fringe web sites and podcasts; every one of these has been used in public by Republicans in positions of power.

All of this may play well for the base, and for the dittoheads and the NewsMax crowd, but it's antithetical to building a broad coalition in the public.