Does GOP’s Aggressive Conservatism Risk Alienating a Diverse Republican Base?

[DonViejo]

Thomas Edsall notes the shift in the current Republican presidential contest to an “aggressively conservative posture stands in direct contrast to the party’s previous five presidential nominees, all of whom sought during their campaigns to play down social issues.”

“To win the presidency, Republicans clearly need to improve their numbers among women, but their approach on reproductive issues appears likely to make that goal difficult.”

“The conflicts over reproductive rights within both the Republican Party and within the social conservative movement are inevitable. They result from the fact that the ideological purity — the moral absolutism — of the anti-abortion movement conflicts with the far more complex views and the pragmatism of the electorate, including many conservative Republicans.”

“For decades, the Republican Party found political success fighting a rear-guard action against the sexual and feminist revolutions. What remains to be seen is whether the flare-up of pronounced anti-abortion stands and objections to key forms of contraception represent a deepening determination on the right to fight to the bitter end or whether they are more like the burst of flame in a match just as it is about to go out.”

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http://wonkwire.com/2015/08/27/does-gops-aggressive-conservatism-risk-alienating-a-diverse-republican-base/