The Battle For the Republican Party: An Interview with Geoffrey Kabaservice

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Tuesday July 09, 2013 · 12:00 PM PDT

2013/07/09 · 12:00

Geoffrey Kabaservice is the author of Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, From Eisenhower to the Tea Party (Oxford University Press, 2012). He documents the transformation of the GOP that occurred during the rise of the New Right, as well as the attempts by moderates to challenge its ascendancy. I spoke with Kabaservice about the changes that occurred in the GOP after Eisenhower, and the crisis faced by conservative and moderate Republicans today. Read More

Little Gipper? Why Rand Paul Should Forget Reagan

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Monday July 08, 2013 · 6:00 PM PDT

2013/07/08 · 18:00

In late May, Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) visited the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library to pitch a comeback plan for conservatives. His choice of venue was no accident: Simi Valley has become a required pit stop for Republicans with presidential designs, and after seizing the nation’s attention with his recent filibuster, Paul is riding high atop the GOP’s list of 2016 nominees.

Paul began by poking fun at himself:

"I hope you’ve got a comfortable seat, because once I get going, I can go on …."

And he did. Rand Paul presented a sweeping vision of a conservative America which elicited repeated outbursts of approval. The atmosphere was electric — part war council, part religious revival. In an address marked with soaring optimism about the future of the country, Paul cited Reagan as the model of how Republicans can start winning elections again.

But he's dead wrong.

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Sunday July 07, 2013 · 11:17 PM PDT

2013/07/07 · 23:17

Last April, former 2012 presidential candidate Rick Santorum warned it would be "suicidal" for the Republican Party to change its stance on gay marriage, despite the RNC's recent assessment that the party's social positions are costing it elections. The evangelical Family Research Council jumped in by urging conservatives to withhold financial support from Republicans until they reiterated their opposition to gay marriage. Within 24 hours, the RNC obediently passed new resolutions against same-sex marriage by unanimous vote.

Yes, change is difficult. But it may embolden moderate Republicans to know that the right wing conservatism which defines today's GOP is actually a recent phenomenon — one that displaced a progressive tradition whose resurrection will ultimately determine whether the GOP is built to last, or whether it will follow the Whigs into oblivion.

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The Battle For the Republican Party: An Interview with Geoffrey Kabaservice

Little Gipper? Why Rand Paul Should Forget Reagan

One Wing to Rule Them All: How Conservatives Betrayed the Republican Party