Since the 16-day government shutdown ended, many across the nation have pinned blame on Republicans for the shutdown.
The blame is coming not only from Democrats but also moderate Republicans.
If the Republicans have learned anything from the shutdown, it’s that they are a divided party being torn apart by moderates and far-right members of the Tea Party.
The Tea Party was hoping that through the shutdown, it could gain the upper hand politically and delay the implementation of the Affordable Care Act by one more year.
Meanwhile, more moderate Republicans like Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) were trying to minimize the political fallout and promote compromise with members of the Democratic Party.
Many moderate Republicans have openly expressed their discontent with their more ideological Tea Party constituents.
Moderates have said they do not know what Tea Party was trying to accomplish.
“We’ve been saying from the beginning, ‘What is the endgame? How does this end? How do you achieve what you are purporting to achieve on defunding Obamacare?’” Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) said, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Ayotte is just one of the many Republicans deeply frustrated with their far-right colleagues.
At the same time, the Tea Party Republicans are angry at the moderates for not supporting them politically during the shutdown.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) — a prominent supporter of the shtudown — expressed his disappointment with moderate Republicans.
“If all 46 Senate Republicans had stood together and simply supported House Republicans in their votes to block the healthcare bill, this result … would have been very, very different,” Cruz said, according to the LA Times.
What will happen to the Republican Party after the shutdown?
As the first Republican President Abraham Lincoln once said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
If the GOP wants to remain strong, then a middle ground must be found between the factions of the party for it to focus more on promoting its goals and policies.
If the party cannot pull itself together, then the Democrats will use the in-fighting to their advantage to further promote their political agenda.
Nick Chavez is a sophomore political science major and an assistant opinions editor at the Daily 49er.
