The Republican Party is fractionalizing before our eyes. Conservative Republicans, led by Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, are calling moderate conservatives not true Republicans, or "RINO's" (Republicans In Name Only). Conservative Republicans are calling the conservative Republicans of the past -- people who identified with Barry Goldwater, William F. Buckley, Jr., and Ronald Reagan -- not true Republicans. It seems like the only way you can be a "true Republican" these days is to be, as Mitt Romney called himself... "extremely conservative". Uh, yeah. In other words, there appears to be no room in the Republican Party for anyone except extreme conservatives.
Amazingly, Republicans like to refer to themselves as the "Big Tent Party" -- a truly laughable description, particularly when you look at the ethnic and racial make-up of Republican conventions and rallies. How exactly does that work? There is room for everybody except those who do not agree with their narrow version of Republican politics? The Republican Party has already alienated more than 92% of African-Americans, more than half of women, most Jewish-Americans, most Hispanic-Americans, most gays and lesbians, most Catholics, most of the youth, most college-educated adults, most of organized labor, and probably a few other major voting blocks.
Now the Republican Party seems dead set on alienating its own moderates and traditional conservatives. How does it expect to represent the American people and American values when it has so diminished itself?
One of the most exceptional things about the United States of America is the ability and the right to dissent from the MAJORITY view. It is what allows people in the U.S. to speak their minds and take positions without fear of retribution by intolerant people who wish to silence anyone who dares to disagree with them. Dissent is precisely what makes America uniquely strong and worth having pride in. It's called "Freedom". Within the Republican Party today, not only is dissent looked down upon, attacked, and even labeled almost un-American, it is done so by a self-righteous and extremist, bullying, small-minded MINORITY.
All this would appear to be good for Democrats, but not really. It's never good to have an extremist opposition, even if it means you can remain in power for a long time. It makes way for the kind of chaos we're now seeing with the shut down of the U.S. government. So what if you have power, when you are unable to govern effectively.