Republicans Run the Political Risk of Becoming Too Self-Reliant

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http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-outlook8aug08,1,3453126.column?coll=la-news-a_section

Republicans Run the Political Risk of Becoming Too Self-Reliant
Ronald Brownstein
Washington Outlook

August 8, 2005

Reward your friends. Punish your enemies. Unify the party. Marginalize the opposition.

These are the old-fashioned tools Republicans are using to entrench their control of 21st century Washington. Around these principles the White House and congressional Republicans this year have demonstrated focus, discipline and an ability to coalesce around difficult legislative goals rare for any political coalition in American history.<snip>

If there's a danger for the GOP in this strategy, it may be too much success. This unification process often produces divisive results: legislation that aims squarely at the priorities of conservatives and offers relatively few concessions to other perspectives.

That guarantees antagonism from Democrats and risks discontent among swing voters, who generally prefer the parties to moderate each other. Cracks in Republican unity — such as Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's break with the White House over stem cell research — inevitably attract the most attention. But the greater danger for the party may be a lack of internal second-guessing that encourages overreaching.
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