There is usually a raging controversy within the Republican Party as to the nature of its presidential nominee. One train of thought says that it should be a “moderate,” someone whose “reasonable” demeanor can appeal to the independent so-called ‘swing voters,’ those undecideds in the middle who are persuadable, the voting bloc without any avowed predetermined ideological or party loyalty. The logic of this thought is seemingly solid: Roughly 40% or so of the electorate is reliably Democrat or Republican, regardless of their official registration (since many people like to claim the independence of not being “owned” by a party when, in fact, they vote with a given party 99% of the time). A candidate with an R or D will get 40% simply by showing up. It’s interesting that a Republican candidate feels they must portray him/herself as “reasonable” or “moderate” in order to appeal to the so-called...(Read Full Article)