The Grand Old Illusion (Part One)

On August 29 (the weekend of the RNC), the New York Times Magazine featured a treatise by David Brooks on the future of the Republican Party (the article can be found here, but note that you have to pay for archived articles). Over the next few days, I'm going to use Brooks' piece as a basis for my own examination of the GOP: where the party stands, and where it might be headed. Brooks outlines his hopes for the party, and ties those hopes to a specific strand of Republican thought and tradition. But is he being realistic?

The Grand Old Party seems to be entering a period of crisis. This relates in large part to its nearly comprehensive grip on American government today, though power brings with it contradictory fortunes. One the one hand, control of government can defuse internal conflict, as elected officials feel less cause to argue theoretical questions of ideological correctness, and expend more of their efforts toward bringing home the proverbial bacon. On the other hand, when problems arise, the party finds no one else to blame, and inevitably must turn on itself: thus the dissatisfaction among many Congressional Republicans with the Bush administration, and even whispers that some GOP Representatives would be more comfortable with a Bush defeat in November - if only to save their control of Congress.

The Republicans have gotten where they are today because of a specific strategy, which has tied them to the so-called "culture war" raging in America since the 1960s. The question is whether this legacy - the source of their success - can sustain them much further. An additional question might be: can America as a whole bear the consequences of this strategy any longer?