The major rift in the GOP is between the conservative base and the establishment. Another way to describe it: It’s the Tea Party vs. K Street.
One thing they often fight over: Should the party always protect incumbents and nominate centrists deemed as more electable, or should Republicans instead aim to be a thoroughly conservative party with conservative candidates running in all but the most liberal states?
Obviously the K Streeters are more pragmatic, and the Tea Partiers are more purist. There are plenty of reasons for this. Here are two: (1) Pure free-market conservatism isn’t so good for subsidy-seeking lobbyists; (2) K Streeters tend to be more versed in party politics, and wiser about to win.
But as the GOP take over the Senate this week, another reason comes into focus.
Grassroots conservatives really care about conservative policy, and so they’re not satisfied with simply a GOP majority. Republican lobbyists find a huge value simply in a GOP majority, however liberal they may be. This is because a GOP majority gives their former boss, and all the politicians they’ve funded, more clout. This makes these lobbyists more valuable — and thus richer.
