Restructuring of the U.S. political right

Restructuring of the U.S. political right is a broad category that variously tries to regain the political success of the coalition under Ronald Reagan, or, alternatively, tries to redefine the right, which may or may not mean the Republican Party, in purer ideological terms. Under Reagan, the center-right identified Republican Party]] had a peak of success, which built an effective coalition of fiscal, social and national security conservatism that both appealed to traditional Republicans but also brought in significant numbers of Democrats, especially fiscal conservatives.

That coalition has fractured, and the various approaches to restructuring include Republican party reorganization to make it a more bottom-up movement that remains inclusive, or alternatives that make it more ideologically pure, such as the Christian Right's emphasis on social conservatism, or the libertarian-influenced government minimization. It is not a given that a resurgent right will bear the Republican name, although most serious political analysts recognize the historic difficulty of creating a third party in the United States. Nevertheless, a number of theoreticians of reform define the change in terms of enlightened conservatism, although there is no consensus on the nature of enlightenment; groups such as The NextRight are trying to define it. Other reformers, such as David Frum, believe that the Republican Party lost its focus on governance, overly emphasizing short-term electoral victories.

As the more strategic thinkers focus on the long-term goals, current elections show some of the conflict. In the upcoming March 2010 Texas gubernatorial primary, for example, incumbent Governor Rick Perry emphasizes social conservatism; his criticism of opponent Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is more reminscent of Republican criticism of Democrats than of other Republicans. Even more significant is positioning for the 2010 Congressional elections.