You know the answer to this one. Think about it.
If you’ve got a guy on the opposite side doing your bidding, what’s the best way to kill his efforts? Why you compliment him of course. Never compliment a guy who is doing your bidding from the other side of the isle.
If he’s doing your bidding, yet you’d like to see him come farther in your direction, what do you do? Why you criticize him of course. It may or may not move him, but it will move others who want to be popular with both parties.
Look at the Republican party, and how far to the left it has moved. Didn’t it do that so that it could appeal to at least some of the Democrats? Won’t it move farther to the left, the more rabidly the left attacks it? Why sure, they have to silence their critics.
Up until now the Republican party has pretty much held on to it’s base. Now the base is leaving. So it trashes the base for being irrational, and stays left to curry favor with the leftists.
Sadly, it doesn’t realize leftists vote for Democrats, not wanna be leftists in the Republican party. McCain(D) has no appeal to Democrats. He didn’t have enough appeal even to Independents in 2008.
If people want a true blue diehard leftist, they know where to get one. It isn’t in the Republican party.
Now..., where do people go for Conservatives? Damned if I know. The Republican party wants no part of them.
Take a look at the Republican reregistration numbers vs Democrats. The Republicans think it’s because they aren’t leftist enough. Go figure.