Subject: Ideological Fractures Plague Republicans
From: "Eric Schwerin" <[email-masked]>
To: "Hunter Biden" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:06:29 -0500

Ideological Fractures Plague Republicans
The latest Pew Research poll shows a growing divide between the Republican Party and the Tea Party, as the GOP's favorable numbers have declined in congressional districts represented by members of the House Tea Party Caucus to nearly those of the Democratic Party.

Key numbers: "Currently, 41% say they have a favorable opinion of the GOP, while 48% say they have an unfavorable view... currently about four-in-ten (39%) say they have a favorable view of the Democratic Party, while 50% offer an unfavorable view."

Chris Cillizza: "What happened? To put it bluntly: governing. Establishment Republicans smartly wrapped their arms around the tea party during the 2010 election... But once the tea party helped elect a Republican majority, the expectations of what that majority would do were unrealistic... The establishment wing of the GOP is, ultimately, playing within the pre-written rules of the current political system... What Republican strategists have to bank on is that the distaste for President Obama among tea partiers is great enough to overcome any qualms they might have about voting for Republican candidates who they don't believe entirely represent their interests."

Eric D. Schwerin
Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC
1010 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Suite 705
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 333-1880
[email-masked]
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