Alex Pareene — The Tea Party and big business want the same things

The only major divisions in the Republican coalition are over tactics, not policy....

The biggest problem with the moderate fantasy of a new Moderate Republican rising from the ashes of Ted Cruz is that “big business” isn’t going to force the “Tea Party” to moderate its positions, it’s going to fight to get them to fight for their positions more effectively. People opposed to the goals of the Tea Party movement should be even more opposed to the business community reasserting control over the party. The end result of the “grown-ups” stepping in to squash the Tea Party would be more power to people like … Mitch McConnell, the man who’s done more than anyone else to block Barack Obama’s agenda. The actual policies being fought for, with few exceptions, wouldn’t change.

The one major issue where there is actually tension between the bottom-line priorities of the donor class and the desires of the activist movement is immigration. There are many obvious reasons why big business would prefer looser immigration restrictions, more guest workers and visas for “highly skilled” immigrants. But for a popular movement still fueled by the tribal panic of aging whites, “more immigrants” is not a winning message. (It’s also true that “the donor class” is much more socially liberal than the grass-roots activists, but same-sex marriage isn’t enough of a profit-booster to make it a fight worth having outside the “blue states” where it’s already popular.) Even on immigration, smart representatives of the donor class seem to be suggesting that they believe it’s better to let activist conservatives have their way than to create a genuine split in the party. Because what’s good for Republicans is good for rich people.

The GOP civil war is over who is right tactically. The overall strategy is the same. Deny the Democrats the ability to govern when they are in power and maximize advantage when the GOP is power. The only argument is over how hard to rock the boat.

Salon
The Tea Party and big business want the same things
Alex Pareene