All pretty much true. But how many Republicans in congress would rather compromise with left-wingnuts (i.e. give in to them) than stick to their guns and do what is right?
Our government is a representative republic. I am always surprised when people atribute what happens in congress to the individuals elected.
What we have to learn is the people who are elected to congress are public servants. They are not public rulers. They will with very few exceptions do what the voters want them to do.
Even Hillary and Bill can read the handwriting on the wall. Bill ... liberal..leftist Clinton signed and took credit for welfare reform when a majority of Americans wanted it. Today Hillary is moderating her position on abortion. She is bending to the will of the people. She would rather hold office than hold to her political philosophy..
Free Republic is of such value not because it reaches politicians, but becuase it reaches ordinary voters. As voters learn and become active, politicians change to please the public they serve. Those that change get reelected. Those that refuse to bend to the public will get defeated.
The problem is never the politicians. The problem is getting enough voters to support what you want done.
Like welfare reform, if one can get 70 percent of the voters to support a course of action, both parties will soon enough embrace that view and will fight to enact it into law.
When parties and candidates go in the opposite direction of the voters, they are rewarded with massive defeats. If, as it looks, the Democrats make a sharp left turn the voters will reward them with massive defeat. At that low point people more attuned to the majority take over the defeated party and bring it back to the center.
People who expect either political party's elected officals to act as the base wants are just inviting massive defeat.
Most of us recognize that if the Democrats move hard left they will only experience massive defeat. Few of us recognize that if the Repubicans were to move hard right they to would experience massive defeat.
Movements to the left or right are slow and gradual and any movement must have the support of a solid majority of voters.
Some Republicans get campaign contributions from people who benefit from govt. giveaway programs. It's not just bums who vote for Dems who like the damnable Food Stamp program...