The RINO "Pandemic" - Just how many kinds of Republicans ARE there?

Pssst...word on the street is that the GOP is divided. It's like a back alley dog fight in there! They're tearing each other apart - destroying their numbers! Chasing people away! They're doomed I tell ya...

[pause for laughter]

If Democrats had their predictions correct, we would have been wiped off the map years ago. Ha, no such luck. However, they are correct in their acknowledgment of the public discourse and disagreements on display at the moment. What's a young Republican like myself supposed to make of all that? Why - over here I'm a traitor, over there I'm a wing-nut, and in my head...well...my views represent the future. :)

Maybe the key is actually in our differences. Everyone wants to feel special and have a fancy title, right? Is it more than just a title? I tried to organize the general groups that somehow, despite liberal claims to the contrary, have managed to come together time and time again for the last century to capture Congress AND the White House. My conclusion? We disagree on a lot - I'm not gonna lie - but it's united in our resolve over certain issues that we gain the strength to overcome our differences and focus on what really matters - the good of the country: Small government and fiscal responsibility. Check it out for yourself:

Ron Paul Revolutionaries

These conservatives don't always take the "Republican" title - you've also heard them called Libertarians. They call themselves the "Party of Jefferson" meaning that they hold values close to traditional American Revolutionary era positions. That said, on foreign policy they hold an isolationist/non-intervention view and on domestic policy, are strict Constitutional constructionists (if it's not specifically in the Constitution, it's not in the Federal government's jurisdiction), which ties into their desire to abolish the Federal Reserve (sounds radical, but it isn't, in fact, Constitutional), and abolish the IRS (some argue the legality of the income tax). Rather than taking a position on social issues, they hold the position that government should be out of all social institutions including marriage - it should go without saying that they are determined believers in separation of church and state. Fiscally, they are absolutely abhorred by waste and irresponsibility of the government, and find the circumstance rare wherein a program or institution is deserving of tax money (sometimes this includes public education). Decentralization is the name of the game - they argue for a decentralized banking system and a weak central/national government. These guys might come off as a little brash or radical at first, but after doing the same amount of reading and research that they have, you just might find yourself agreeing with them more than you would think.

The Religious Right

Or specifically, the "Christian Right". This faction can vary greatly on its policy stances in terms of "compassionate conservatism" which was seen under George W. Bush (and arguably Mike Huckabee's performance as Arkansas governor) to hard-line Bible conformists. Compassionate conservatism primarily equated to "soft" stances on issues of crime and immigration. Overall this faction is solid on their opinions over social issues, notably abortion and gay marriage (although it is not only their faction holding strong opinions), promoting healthy lifestyles, and overtly rejecting anything seen as contradictory to such including profanity, "deviant" sexual behavior, and adultery. There is a high focus on the church community and strong support and advocacy of traditional family values - this advocacy often extends to petitions for government programs and policies favoring said values. Some argue against the notion of separation of church and state, bringing to light the religious beliefs of the Founding Fathers and their intentions while writing the Constitution - the primary argument is that God and government may be joined as long as the government is not advocating one religious belief over another. They believe that a person's morality and therefore governing decisions are rooted in his/her faith and religious values, making an analysis of both fair as political discourse.

Reagan Generation

This category also includes Reagan Democrats because of its strong focus (and perhaps foundation) on economic policy. The popular "cut taxes" mantra came from Reagan's supply-side economic theory whereby lowering the cost of business creates more demand for the products produced, more profit generated, returning higher tax revenue, and from this more jobs are created. The Reagan platform is arguably where the current GOP platform stands and/or is trying to return. Besides economics, it represents strength and resolve in policy decisions, and a proud, hopeful, and positive attitude about America and its place in the world. The "city on a hill" metaphor is hundreds of years older than Reagan, but he made it a focal point of his speeches and encouragement of the American people. He believed in American exceptionalism, and from that belief stemmed his policies as well as his impact on current generations. The success of "Reaganomics" and the economic boom that followed its implementation, along with his determined stance on strong national security during the end of the Cold War has carved out the legend he has become today.

McCain Moderates

This faction is best known for being focused on compromise and consensus, even at times when the issue is not sound according to the fiscal or judicial cores of the GOP. Moderates have generally received this label for taking liberal stances on social issues, not having a focus on strong defense or foreign policy, compromising on immigration policy, raising taxes, or approving new tax-funded initiatives not seen as conducive to fiscal responsibility. However, even the classification of "moderate" is not indicative of a person's overall stance - they may only hold a "moderate" position on a single issue, while still maintaining unity over others. Not all those classified as "moderates" hold the same positions on all issues - it is their willingness to not conform to the party-line stance of the day that earns them the version of this title which is pointed to as "dissent" from the GOP, or rather the "pandemic" the liberal media tries to refer to. There are true moderates, like McCain, Christie, Snowe, and Collins - and then there are single-issue moderates that the media flags to give a weak view of the GOP. Oh...and let's not forget the progressives (see last entry)...

Palin Populists

The members of this faction are the Republican Party's most vocal advocates for the "little guy", for "small town America", and fighting against the "Good Old Boy" system. As the name indicates, these types of conservatives gained quite a bit of steam with the introduction of Sarah Palin to the national political scene, and many of these elements are also felt among the participants of the popular "tea party" movement, though many in that movement may not advocate for Palin. Middle class interests are often spoken of in political discourse, but the politicians speaking on the issues generally are disconnected from a real-world experience surrounding them. Having come directly from small-town middle class life, Sarah Palin was able to bring such issues to the national stage, making a connection with her supporters that went beyond politics. Voters identified with her as a person, which started a movement that demanded similar connections with other politicians and public representatives. The ideas of fighting corruption, fighting for the voter's interests in Congress, a renewed "pride in country", and anti-big-business were/are hallmarks of this movement, along with vigorous pro-life and pro-family values stances their respective debates.

Hamilton Federalists

This faction is close to the Reagan Generation in terms of economics and limited government intervention, but has a more pro-business, monetary-dominant platform (If you've ever watched Neil Cavuto either on his own Fox Business show or as a guest on O'Reilly - he holds the pro-business perspective being referred to here). Based on the original Federalist Party founded by Alexander Hamilton during George Washington's presidency, it advocates for a strong national government with equally strong financial credibility. This belief eventually established the first Bank of the United States ("BUS"), and promoted the idea that having some sort of debt was a good thing for trade and similar cooperative relations - it established credit by joining all the war debts in a manner that could be paid off. Today's current Republican party traces its roots back more or less to Hamilton's Federalist Party, eventually evolving into the Whig Party (it's complicated...) and so forth. As a graduated semi-continuation of the Federalists, the Whigs advocated for a modern economy, adding industrialization, public education, and cultural institutions to the government's priorities rather than the Jefferson-proposed agrarian society. It is said that we actually live in "Hamilton's Country" based on the notion that his ideas have been implemented and proliferated to all of our country's institutions - that said, all who prefer our economic institutions could be said to be, in fact, Hamiltonians. However, today's version of this faction in found mostly among the financial sector, desiring deregulation to maximize investment and return potential.

** Interestingly enough, Hamilton Federalists hold views that are in stark contrast to those of the Ron Paul Revolutionaries. Just as the first party split came because of the dissonance between Hamilton and Jefferson (Hamilton's Federalists and Jefferson's Democratic-Republicans), the tension between Hamilton-minded individuals and Ron Paul supporters is...interesting.

Roosevelt (Teddy) Progressives

Also known as "Rockefeller Republicans", this faction is the progressive side of the GOP, although many have found more identification with the progressives of the Democratic Party in modern times, a separation dating back to the Ford administration. Those who still identify themselves as Republicans are most often referred to as RINOs as their views over business regulation (high to keep things "fair"), taxes (better products, not tax cuts), and social programs (favor) are no longer representative of the GOP platform. The identifications still remaining with today's GOP are balanced budgets and support of big business interests (although even there they differ). These Republicans are also referred to as "moderate" or "liberal" Republicans.

Until tomorrow....