Why has the Republican Party become so narrow minded?

Question

Example: If a loyal lifetime Republican, thinks for his/herself and it doesn't mesh with other Conservative Republicans, these people are suddenly referred to as RINO's (Republican in Name Only)

Seems like they don't want anyone in their party to have an opinion.

wolf - the question was not about Democrats

Ruth - get serious. that term is used all the time by Limbaugh and others. Not by Liberals doing any sort of generalization.

Sean - why does it have to be that narrow. why can't people have Liberal and Conservative views and be a member of one of those parties?

Answer 1

Examples, please.

This is just one narrow-minded Liberal's over-generalization.

Answer 2

I think it's pretty simple how this happened. Southern conservatives bolted the Democratic party when it shifted to the left, so they've basically muscled most moderates (Rockefeller Rupublicans) out. Now, the few moderate Republicans elected to national office usually only come from New England and occassionally from the midwest or west coast, but New England has the largest concentration (a holdover from the days when the moderate Republican party dominated New England politics). The fact is that people like Nixon, Eisenhower, Rockefeller and Ford would never get a shot a high office today, and certainly never would have been congressional leaders. On the other hand, the Democrats, after the Dukakis debacle in 1988, moved more towards the center and have quite a few liberals (Ted Kennedy, Dennis Kucinich) and quite a few moderates as well (Jim Webb, Heath Schuler) the Democratic Leadership council and the Blue Dog coalition are both pretty moderate, while the Republican party doesn't have really anything comparable (in terms of size and legislative influence) that could be called moderate. The Republican Party is dominated by neo-cons, even stalwarts like Pat Buchanan has found ample reason to criticize and even bolt the Republican Party. One result of this, is that Republicans are more likely to toe the line when it comes to ideological orthodoxy, so they maintain better party discipline than the Democrats do, which is why it's sometimes hard for the Democrats to get things done, they have more factions to contend with. It would make more sense perhaps, to have a conservative party, a liberal party and a moderate party.

Answer 3

American politics are a bit different than other countries. In other countries, there's more of a clear cut division among right and left-wing views. Not so in America... Republicans and Democrats have many overlapping views. For a simple example, some Republicans support pro-choice and some Democrats support pro-life.

But then there are special interest groups that attempt to make each party more clear cut (to further their cause). So that's why we view Republicans as conservative and Democrats as liberals. Special interest groups have so much power in the USA in mobilizing their supporters to vote for certain candidates. So they makes each candidate take one side even though the candidate may be a moderate.

They have power like labor unions decades ago who encouraged their members to vote for a particular candidate.

In a way, that's why Republicans have slightly done better in elections since 1980 (Republican presidents in 20 of the last 28 years, and they controlled Congress from 1994 to 2006- most of the other years have seen a split Congress). They seemed to have a better grasp of using special interest groups (probably because they have less to answer to) and maintaining a clearer campaign platform. It's like the Cliff Notes of campaigning.

The Democrats have a broader base of special interest groups so it's hard to please all of them (and inevitably they please none). I think there are generally more Americans who support Democrat's views, but they aren't mobilized very well and end up not voting.

I think most Democratic leaning voters view politics as negative and voting is a waste of time, while most Republican leaning voters view it more positively...

But viewpoints and political parties change through time. The Repubicans are having an identity crisis, as many believe they are going too right-wing. That will decrease the number of supporters, while the Democrats have tremendous momentum from the 2006 Congressional elections.

Answer 4

They were kind of a narrow minded bunch after WWI in the 20s. Republicans opposed women's sufferage and fostered the isolation characterized by the Smoot Harley Tariff acts.
They were perfectly happy to see Hitler swallow up Europe too.
It may have changed after WW II when the Party of Lincoln became the party of Joseph McCarthy. It only became more so during the Civil Right era and the Nixon Administration.
These days they seem to be the party of war and fascism.

Answer 5

Or in the case of Joe Lieberman...a former V-P candidate for the Democratic Party, when he expresses conservative opinions counter to the radical Left, they don't just call him names, they try to kick him out of the Party.

BTW, RINO doesn't apply to someone with an occasional alternative "opinion" on a particular issue, it applies to someone who consistently votes Liberal despite, being a Republican...bit of a difference, my friend.

Answer 6

The republican party has been hijacked by the regressive far right.There is no place for dissent.

American conservatism is like a religious cult.Everyone in the outside world is out to get them(liberal bias).They alone have the Holy truth and must protect and save America.

Because they are on a Holy mission to save the world fact,reason and truth are less important than their political gain.So it's perfectly OK to use lies and slander of opponents but excuse and ignore immoral behavior of their own.They don't see it so it isn't there.Keeping their image clean is more important than the truth.

Answer 7

The Conservative, right wing extremists have taken over. That is why. Not all republicans are narrow minded though...only the extremists.

Answer 8

No, its just that those who claim to be in the republican party should be conservative, and those in the democratic party, liberal.

Answer 9

Get rich quick schemes in the capitalist business world, (buyouts, IPOs, conglomerates, acquisitions, mergers, and the stock market), do not actually work. Remaining solvent does not actually exist within false economics capitalism.

Profit existing in the capitalist business world, or millionaires existing within capitalism, is pathological deception committed by the 21 organizations spying on the population with plain clothes agents, (with covert fake names and fake backgrounds).

Actual economics is the persons paying the monthly business loan payments of companies voting at work in order to control the property they are paying for.

Capitalism is the psychology of imaginary parents, false economics, and the criminal deception of employees that are paying the bills (including the stocks and bonds, or shares) of companies.

Anti-democracy republicanism is the psychology of imaginary parents and false government.

Answer 10

It s the old white folk raised in the early to mid-twentieth century at the height of white male supremacy and the suppression of women and minorities who feel they re losing their "white privilege" yet these bigots are shaming America !!

Answer 11

the Republican Party have always been narrow minded?

no news