Grass-Roots Anger Transforms Republican Party Establishment

It's hard out there for a Republican.

At WSJ, "Grass-Roots Anger Transforms Republican Party in Congress and Presidential Campaign":

WASHINGTON—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.”

One GOP presidential candidate openly taunted his party’s leaders over the upheaval in Washington. “It’s bedlam in Washington right now,” Mr. Trump declared at an event Thursday in Las Vegas. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

GOP lawmakers are hoping that the storm in Congress will be calmed if Rep. Paul Ryan, a conservative who enjoys respect across the party, can be persuaded to run for speaker. On the presidential trail, many establishment-oriented Republicans are despairing of finding a way to restore order—other than to wait for the insurgent spirit to burn out and let a more conventional candidate emerge and lead the party into 2016.

“It’s quite a mess,” said Fergus Cullen, a former chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party. “What went on in D.C. is a reminder it’s not just confined to the presidential race.”

The fissures first appeared before President Barack Obama took office but have grown pronounced now that he is on his way out. The tumult is driven by long-simmering, grass-roots frustration with the party establishment since George W. Bush’s presidency.

The turmoil produced some of the party’s biggest successes—the GOP takeover of the House, its dominance in state governments around the country and its seizure of Senate control—but also stacked Congress with more conservative, confrontational lawmakers. One factor is the absence of one clear national leader. Conservative groups and talk-radio hosts have filled the void, agitating against party leaders or anyone deemed an “establishment figure.”

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