Romney

'Romney wrote a lengthy reply warning against European-style polarization. “Dogmatic ideological parties tend to splinter the political and social fabric of a nation,” Romney wrote. Worse, he added, political parties with fixed ideological programs “lead to governmental crises and deadlocks, and stymie the compromises so often necessary to preserve freedom and achieve progress.”

That was then Michigan Governor George Romney.

He 'and other leading moderates, called for a more inclusive GOP and critized Goldwater’s campaign. Stung by the failure of many moderates to actively support or even formally endorse his candidacy, Goldwater retorted that he needed no lessons in maintaining unity'.
From : http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/is-2012-1964-all-over-again/

How much of tghis is going to be replayed over the coming months?

 “The Missing Middle in American Politics—How Moderate Republicans Became Extinct” (apparently a review of Geoffrey Kabaservice’s Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party from Eisenhower to the Tea Party).

'Just 40 percent of Republicans say they have a great deal of interest in following the contest, compared with 48 percent in December'.
From : http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_AP_POLL_REPUBLICANS_VS_OBAMA?SITE=MITRA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT