The insurgent uprisings rocking the Republican Party in Congress and the presidential campaign are creating heartburn among establishment party figures, who worry an unguided fury will keep the GOP from reclaiming the White House next fall. But that same turmoil is eliciting cheers from many in the party’s grass roots, who, far from fearing the turbulence, think it serves their burning desire to force changes in the government.
Both sides suspect that the Grand Old Party, long run by a hierarchical and well-organized elite, is being transformed by the conservative anger that initially propelled the party back to congressional power in 2010.
The shocking news that Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) abandoned his bid to become House speaker on Thursday put an exclamation point on the party’s divisions. Coming on the heels of House Speaker John Boehner’s own surprise resignation, the episode showed the growing clout of the activist wing of the party, which is also fueling the White House bids of celebrity real-estate developer Donald Trump and other political newcomers.
“Everyone in Washington is in denial and they wonder when this bubble is going to burst; it ain’t going to burst,” said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. “The House Republican turmoil is a symptom of the larger tidal wave. It is not a problem in itself.”
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