<p>The Republican Party is often referred to as a group of &ldquo;Old White Men&rdquo;.  ;It is the Democrats who are the party of diversity and tolerance.  ;Hence all Republicans are racists unless they agree with the Democrats.  ;This accusation is outrageous and even a little hypocritical.  ;</p>
<p>The Democrats do attract a larger percentage of Black, Hispanic, and Female voters this is true.  ;However, one must consider this objectively and through the lens of party perception.  ;The Republicans and Democrats do differ in regards to diversity.  ;</p>
<p>The Democrats have a more diverse ethnic following; however they are bound to a single ideology. There is very little to no diversity in the &ldquo;thought department&rdquo;, one is either a liberal or a bigot of some kind.  ;</p>
<p>The Republicans, on the other hand, are by no means homogenous as they too attract Black, Hispanic, and Female voters.  ;The difference is that instead of grouping people into ethnocentric groups, for the purpose of race baiting, all members of the Republican Party are simply Republican.  ;The diversity that is found in the Republican Party, which has been admittedly a hindrance to their national appeal, is their diversity in ideology.</p>
<p>There are seven distinct ideologies found within the Republican Party.  ;The inability of any one candidate to unite these warring factions is a central cause of a long string of losses for Republican Presidential candidates.  ;These ideological groups are 1) Establishment Republicans 2) Neocons 3) Evangelicals 4) Reaganites 5) Moderates 6) RINO&rsquo;s 7) Libertarians.</p>
<p><strong>Reaganite-</strong> the Reaganite focuses on two basic principles: Fiscal Conservatism and a Strong Military Capability.  ;These followers of Ronald Reagan, hence the name, point to his greatest achievements as president to justify their stance: the strong economic recovery of the 1980s and the collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent end to the Cold War.  ;</p>
<p>The Reaganites&rsquo; focus is not to say that they do not have opinions on other matters, but simply these are their primary focus.  ;They promote an economic environment of low taxation and fewer regulations.  ;They wish to see an erosion of the Welfare State and balancing of the federal budget.  ;</p>
<p>Many Reaganites are also protectionists, meaning they promote an economic policy that protects American jobs from foreign competition through tariffs.  ;</p>
<p>As for the military, they view a strong American military as key to most of our international relations.  ;We are capable of defending against attack, protect American interests abroad, aid our allies in times of need, and have considerably more clout when negotiating with enemy nations.  ;</p>
<p>Reaganites often come from the middle and working classes of the Republican Party.  ;They want more economic opportunity, a chance at self-sufficiency, and a broad sense of security so are drawn to these policy decisions.  ;</p>
<p>The example I am going to use here I am sure will be followed by a barrage of tomatoes but regardless, he fits the bill: Donald Trump.  ;Trump&rsquo;s entire presidential candidacy has been based upon protectionary policies towards nations like China and Mexico.  ;He also calls for rebuilding our military, and going to the negotiation table from a place of strength.  ;Is he Reagan?  ;NO.  ;Is he a Reagnite? YES. ;</p>
<p><strong>Neocon Republican-</strong> the Neocon is a Republican who views himself/herself from more of an international context.  ;They are often in support of globalist American policy.  ;They support &ldquo;nation-building&rdquo; and wish to perpetuate the role of the United States as the global police state.  ;</p>
<p>They believe in interfering in other nations&rsquo; internal issues and in the exportation of American values abroad.  ;They are in support of free trade and global corporatism, even justifying the exploitation of low-wage workers, at the expense of the American worker, by claiming our business presence allows for economic growth and improved standards of living in these foreign nations.  ;They also concede important decision making to international institutions such as the United Nations or the World Bank.  ;</p>
<p>Neocons, like Establishment, can be found all over America but tend to come from the Upper Class of society as they view the nation, and themselves, as superior to others.  ;</p>
<p>An example of a Neocon was President George W Bush.  ;He not only waited for &ldquo;permission&rdquo; from the United Nations to attack Iraq, but also spent considerably more money and time rebuilding the shattered nations than defeating the Iraqi military and insurgent groups.</p>
<p><strong>Evangelical Republican</strong>&#8211; the Evangelical Republican is more focused on the soul of the nation over its place in the international community.  ;This is also often through a Judeo-Christian lens.  ;They feel it is their role as a Christian to promote a moral and just society.  ;</p>
<p>They are strong supporters of religious liberty and its inclusion in everyday life.  ;They are against immoral behavior such as abortion, gay marriage, and drug use.  ;They call for harsher restrictions on abortions through government legislation and regulations on those who perform the procedures.  ;</p>
<p>They wish to embed in our society the concept that marriage is between &ldquo;one man and one woman&rdquo; even promoting a Constitutional Amendment to this end.  ;This is not to say they wish to break up gay marriages, just that they be called &ldquo;civil unions&rdquo;.  ;</p>
<p>In addition, religious institutions, and those of the faith, have the freedom to opt out of participating in any act that might compromise their religious tenants.  ;Evangelical Republicans are primarily from Southern and Central Plains Red States where Christianity has a stronger impact on daily life within the community.</p>
<p>A good example of an Evangelical is former Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas.  ;In both his 2012 and 2016 Presidential runs, his primarily policy focus have had to do with social issues and the protection of Judeo-Christian Values.  ;</p>
<p> ;<strong>Establishment Republican</strong>&#8211; the Establishment Republican is one that puts party ahead of policy.  ;They concede to the Party Elite on all their stances of American policy.  ;This has created a somewhat erratic ideology as Party Elites are often more interested in being in power rather than governing the people in a consistent way.  ;They base their ideology on the whims of public opinion through polls and &ldquo;autopsy reports&rdquo;.  ;</p>
<p>This at times has led to political &ldquo;double-speak&rdquo; where a person may support something at one point, but completely change their stance on another.  ; Since the Establishment Republican is based more on tactics then specific ideas, they tend to come from all segments of America.  ;</p>
<p>A good example of an Establishment Republican is former Governor and Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney.  ;Mitt Romney was in a constant state of flux regarding his policy ideas during the 2012 elections, seemingly changing stances based upon what polls and the party told him.</p>
<p><strong>Moderate Republicans</strong>&#8211; To begin, I would like to make something clear in regards to Moderates and RINOs.  ;There are similarities, to be sure, but they describe distinctly different groups.  ;In addition, I would point out that the term RINO (Republican In Name Only) is often used pejoratively against Republicans who do not follow the standard policy lines.  ;Therefore, many Moderate Republicans have at times worn the mantra of RINO.  ;</p>
<p>A Moderate Republican is a middle ground kind of person.  ;He/She wishes to find the middle ground in any policy decision.  ;There is no particular focus other than to promote compromise and &ldquo;crossing the aisle&rdquo;.  ;</p>
<p>The Midwest is often the heartland of the Moderate Republican where working class people, often members of unions, have made a living working and compromising with factory owner and foreman alike.  ;A good example of a Moderate is Governor and Presidential Candidate John Kasich.  ;</p>
<p>He has often touted his ability to work with the Democrats and takes on Centrist policy stances.  ;For example he wants more border security but will consider amnesty for illegal immigrants currently residing in America.</p>
<p><strong>RINO</strong>&#8211; the RINO is exactly as the term describes it: a person who calls himself/herself a Republican but is in fact a Democrat.  ;They often cross the aisle not to compromise like a Moderate, but to support liberal policies.  ;</p>
<p>They are both fiscally and socially liberal and often come from Blue-states.  ;They are defeatists who claim that welfare entitlement programs cannot be taken away and thus must be perpetuated.  ;To do this they will support tax hikes and deficit spending.</p>
<p> ;They also lean socially liberal in regards to issues such as abortion and gay marriage.  ;RINOs primarily come from the northeast and western coast, areas that are Blue States and have a liberal lean.  ;The example of the RINO is Senator Susan Collins from Maine.  ;Not only as she voted against partial birth abortion bans, she also supported the stimulus deficit spending of President Obama.</p>
<p><strong>Libertarian-</strong> the Libertarian, or Liberty Republican, is the &ldquo;young upstart&rdquo; group of the Republican Party.  ;They wish to merge several policy stances with a primary focus on expanding individual freedoms across the board to the most people possible.  ;</p>
<p>At the heart of the Libertarian mindset is the question of government&rsquo;s role in the lives of Americans.  ;In short, a Libertarian believes that the government should &ldquo;butt out&rdquo;.  ;They are against high taxation and view welfare programs as mechanisms of social control.  ;</p>
<p>They promote a fiscally conservative policy of low regulation and little oversight.  ;They believe that the government should not be the arbiter of moral or ethical dilemmas and that everybody should be able to live as they see fit be it a homosexual male or an Evangelical Christian.  ;</p>
<p>They also believe that America itself should &ldquo;butt out&rdquo; of the affairs of the international community.  ;They are against interventionist policies and want a downgraded military whose primary purpose is defense, not international security.  ;</p>
<p>Most libertarians come from the younger college-aged and millennial population of the party who have, in essence, become disenchanted with both parties.  ;</p>
<p>The best example of a Liberty Republican is Ron Paul and to a lesser extent, his son Rand.  ;Ron&rsquo;s presidential candidacies focused on the diminishing of the government&rsquo;s interference in American life as well as a downgrade of America&rsquo;s foreign military presence.</p>
<p>So the next time someone tells you that the Republicans are not diverse, point out this simple fact.  ;The Republicans are diverse and tolerant of ideas and opinions and do not pigeon-hole people into groups to be exploited.  ;Can the same be said about the Democrats?</p>
<p> ;</p>