Wrong lesson sir

John Feehery simple learns the wrong lesson here. He views the homogeneity of the Republican party, and differences within the Democratic part, as an opening for the Republicans. The general idea being that the Republicans can exploit these cracks in party unity. The takeaway here is all wrong. The problems the Republicans have is that they currently only appeal to one segment of the population while Democrats appeal to a broad spectrum.

This is not the Republican opportunity, it is their current problem. They need to take less extreme positions and thereby welcome more people into their fold. They have been hell bent on doing the opposite though, attacking anyone who isn't "conservative enough" within their own party and branding them as traitors or liberals.

What opportunity would these cracks even present? Presumably the reason some Democrats hold differing positions from other Democrats is that that is what their district wants. If thats the case, and in large part I believe it is, these differences are what permit the Democrats to hold a wide majority in both houses across broad spectrums of the country. The Republican insistence on doctrinal purity and appeal to only 1 segment of the population is what has them running extreme right candidates in places like PA. Even if Specter hadn't flipped the Democrats would've destroyed the ultra-conservative who would have defeated him in the Republican primary.

It is precisely the fact that Republicans seem to want to appeal to only 1 type of voter and run only 1 type of candidate in all elections that is killing them. They need to branch out, not embrace their homogeneity...unless they would prefer a pure minority to a broader majority.

Madison