[oldbrowser]

But politics is about persuasion, and a party consumed by the need to prove its purity to its base is going to have a very hard time proving anything else to the rest of the country.

I see this as a tactical weakness in the GOP.
The marxists have a goal in mind and are willing to accept an incremental movement toward their goal. Over the last century they have inched their way toward the goal line when in the opposition and made giant gains when in control.

The GOP, not so much.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

Exactly, it's not a matter of philosphy as much as it's a matter of strategy and far too many on Free Republic don't get that. They believe it is possible to win the whole ball of wax at one time and they're not interesting in incrementalism.

Those who are willing to believe they have accomplished something by voting "third party" come to mind. This empowers Democrats and the left and further weakens the only chance we have at defeating liberalism and that is through the Republican party.