A New Guide to theRepublican Herd

Six years ago, as the Republican Party was headed for a historic electoral drubbing, Republican voters belonged to a number of distinct, boisterous camps: several strains of social conservatives; broad anti-regulation and anti-tax blocs; hawks supporting the Afghan and Iraq wars; moderates who shunned the culture wars.

That motley crowd has morphed into a more unified and even more boisterous one. All are motivated foremost by disgust with the weak economy and an intense dislike of the man presiding over it, President Obama.

There are still distinct camps, though fewer. They are pictured here along a right-to-left continuum of party loyalty, based on the views of several political experts and strategists. The size of the elephant icons approximates the relative strength of each bloc.

The biggest change, of course, is the arrival of the Tea Party. Although incited by alarm over debt, health care reform and bailouts, the Tea Party is largely in league with a newly monolithic bloc of social conservatives. Both groups share the same broad agenda.

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, after their coronation in Tampa, Fla., hope to have the blocs shown here firmly onboard. Winning over voters outside the tent is their toughest task for the next two months.

Main Street Voters

Main Streeters are the biggest bloc, a pragmatic, establishment-supporting wing of the party that has for years produced its presidential nominees. Although less ideological and less assertive on foreign policy than some elements in the G.O.P. herd, they are arguably the most loyal to the party and its most reliable voters. They are Republicans first, conservatives second. Main Streeters are looking for some degree of compromise on Capitol Hill to get things done; they are not so thrilled by purists.

STANDARD BEARERS

Mitt Romney, John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, John McCain. Presidents Bush I and Bush II are standard-bearers emeritus.

MOTIVATING ISSUES

·         The economy

·         Cut deficit, taxes, regulations

·         Repeal Obamacare

·         Gun owners’ rights

·         Anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage

·         Pro-energy subsidies

Tea Party Voters

The populist, more radical Tea Party wing has a deep mistrust of experts, elites and even the G.O.P. establishment. Sees issues in stark black and white; has no appetite for compromise. They are conservatives first, Republicans second.

STANDARD BEARERS

Jim DeMint, Grover Norquist, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin. Paul Ryan, though not in the House Tea Party Caucus, is nonetheless a rock star.

MOTIVATING ISSUES

·         The economy

·         Slash deficit, taxes, regulations

·         Repeal Obamacare

·         Anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage

·         Anti-environmental regulations

·         Gun owners' rights

·         Seal the border

 Christian Conservatives

One bloc, deeply rooted in religion, with two wings that see a decline in American values. Both care more about their conservative agenda than fealty to the G.O.P.

STANDARD BEARERS

The White Evangelical wing, dominated by Southerners, is perhaps three-quarters of this bloc. Michele Bachmann, Tony Perkins and Mike Huckabee are standard-bearers. Rick Santorum leads the Conservative Catholic wing.

MOTIVATING ISSUES

·         The economy

·         Anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage

·         Creationist theories, God in public sphere

·         Cut funds for Planned Parenthood

·         Slash deficit, taxes, regulations

·         Repeal Obamacare

·         Gun owners’ rights

Libertarians

The G.O.P.’s odd men out (two-thirds are male), Libertarians are not an easy fit in the party. Like Tea Party supporters, they are pro-business and anti-government, but less religious. They are more affluent and better educated than many Republicans.

STANDARD BEARERS

Ron Paul has been the most visible leader; son Rand occupies the same political ground. But they want government regulation of some private conduct: both oppose almost all abortions; most libertarians do not. Gary Johnson, once a G.O.P. presidential hopeful, is now the Libertarian candidate.

MOTIVATING ISSUES

·         The economy

·         Slash deficit, taxes, regulations

·         Repeal Obamacare

·         Gun owners’ rights

·         Privacy rights; abortion rights

·         Opposed to the drug war

·         Opposed to Patriot Act

·         Fiercely isolationist

The Disaffected

The most economically wounded bloc, so named by Pew for their skepticism toward both big business and government. The system, they believe, is rigged for the rich. Least loyal to the party, and least likely to vote.

STANDARD BEARERS

They only lean Republican and thus lack similarly minded leaders. Voting for Democrats is unlikely but not impossible.

MOTIVATING ISSUES

·         The economy

·         Wall Street greed

·         Concentration of economic power

·         Anti-immigration

·         Pro-safety net

  

The Endangered
Or Vanished

Northeast moderates in Congress have dwindled to a handful of vestigial politicians like the retiring Senator Olympia Snowe as voters there have turned more Democratic. Even after the G.O.P. romped in the 2010 election, only 2 out of New England’s 22 House districts were in Republican hands.

National security voters

Neoconservatives, advocates of a hawkish foreign policy, took a beating in 2006 amid broad opposition to the Iraq war. Their constituency has largely disappeared, but the agenda lives: Mitt Romney is offering an updated version to an electorate now less focused on foreign policy.

Liberals Hello? Anyone?

By BILL MARSH, GRAHAM ROBERTS, XAQUIN G.V. and ARCHIE TSE |