The conflict that we see between elites clearly has it's roots in the electorate. A new Washington Post poll finds that
Fewer than half of the Republicans and Republican-leaners surveyed by The Washington Post see the party's leadership as taking the GOP in the "right direction," down sharply from this time four years ago. About four in 10 are dissatisfied with the policy proposals being offered by congressional Republicans, and similar numbers see the current crop of GOP legislators as out of touch with their problems and personal values. Nearly a third say the Republicans in Congress are not standing up for the party's core values (data for the Washington Post Poll).
I don't think this is surprising. Four years ago, with Bush in the White House, Republicans had a leader to rally around. Without that natural focal point (or even ambitious congressional party leaders like Newt Gingrich in the 1990s) Republican voters are left to take their political cues from a diverse set of politicians – often chosen by which elite is getting the most media attention at a given time. Plus the economy is in bad shape so survey respondents are going to tend toward negative evaluations of all leaders. Still, it would be great to have a similar battery of questions asked of Democrats. Though a recent CNN/Opinion Research poll suggests that Republican voters might be slightly more doctrinaire than Democratic voters.
Chris Chocola (president of the Club for Growth) thinks that this ideological conflict is a feature and not a bug, "Competitive parties hone their platforms, test messages and policy ideas and foster and elevate dynamic leaders." We just get to watch the GOP work through that process very publicly in the echo chamber of the 24 hour news cycle and the blogosphere. Of course this publicity might make it more difficult for Republican candidates to tailor their positions to their districts. Maine Republican Party Chairman Charlie Webster cautions to Politico, "Part of my job is to recruit candidates, and I try to find candidates that fit districts. I never question anyone on social issues, and I try to pick candidates based on what a district needs." Of course, the Club for Growth has been quite visibly backing conservative candidates in primaries. Also, liberal donors might be walking down a similar path.
Americans don't really seem to like division. Also: more on Populism and the GOP in the New York Times.
