Just wanted to clear something up:
These policies, and similar ones in other states, were passed in an arrogant frenzy by a Tea Party-tide of Republicans elected in 2010. Many of them decided that they had a mandate to dismantle some of the basic protections and restrictions of government. They went too far, and weary voters had to drag them back toward the center. As a result, Tuesday brought an overdue return of common sense to government policy in many states. Many voters are tired of legislation driven more by ideology than practicality, of measures that impoverish the middle class or deprive people of basic rights in order to prove some discredited economic theory or cultural belief.
This is misleading. It wasn’t the Tea Party that pushed the anti-union agenda in Ohio. It was moneyed interests that are absolutely central to the national GOP, and it was state legislators who did not arrive in any “Tea Party” wave, but are (supposedly) mainstream Republicans. Governor Kasich was in the US House from 1993 to 2001. He’s about as plugged in and mainstream as a Republican can be. This was his law. Further, each and every GOP candidate for President endorsed Kasich’s law. The Tea Party actually pushed the ridiculous constitutional amendment on health care. The union-busting law wasn’t their issue.
I don’t know if this nonsense is sentimentality or nostalgia or what, but can we please stop pretending there’s something called “The Republican Party”, a theory, that is different than the actual Republican Party that exists?
There’s one Republican Party, just like there’s one Democratic Party. I don’t run around pretending there’s another, alternate Democratic Party that is much, much better than the group that currently exists. I’d sometimes like to do that, but I don’t, because that’s purely aspirational on my part. It’s not reality.
Like all organizations, the GOP is a group of people. It’s a sum of parts. This fantasy mainstream “Republican Party” exists only in the memories of newspaper editorial writers. There are no activist members or leaders of the imaginary GOP. An organization like that no longer exists. This is what they are. Deal with it.