Just like the Democrats, the GOP has been around a long time, and their philosophies have changed greatly over time. At any one moment, there has been variation and debate on where the party should be, and the consensus (however it is arrived at!) of the members is what defines where the party stands on any particular issue. We know pretty well what your philosophical roots are, TB, but you do not speak for the party. At best, you represent the views of one faction in it, perhaps even a faction of one, and even your views are under constant review and reflection, or I should hope they are.

And remember, even your most fundamental political axioms are not necessarily anathema to your political opponents, if stated simply and clearly, they are probably pretty straightforward and reasonable. The differences come in interpretation and nuance, how much, how often, how many. Democratic (with a lower case "d") parties are not groups who adhere to a single vision for the country, they are individuals, often of conflicting views, who nonetheless feel they are close enough to work together IN SPITE OF their differences. And that's how democracies need to work, too, or they are doomed to centripetal forces which will tear them apart.

You can't run a country like you run a classroom, a company or a military unit; at any one time, most, if not all, of the participants SHOULD feel like they're not getting what they would like. If they do not, something is terribly wrong.