GOP Disruption

"There's no place out there for graft, or greed, or lies, or compromise with human liberties. And if that's what the grownups have done with this world that was given to them, then we'd better get those boy's camps started fast and see what the kids can do."
--Jefferson Smith (Mr Smith Goes to Washington)

Do early Republican presidential candidates, such as Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, symbolize a shift in how the GOP identifies candidates for higher office? Hopefully so. Both Cruz and Paul have been shunned by the establishment in the past. That they can legitimately step into the fray with significant early support is a positive sign.

Years ago these pages posited that establishment Republicans would ride the coat tails of Tea Party and other unconventional types only to the extent that it helped the establishment survive. That time has past.

Now that anti-establishment candidates threaten to disrupt the GOP status quo, you can bet that Cruz, Paul, et al face more than just opposition from Democrats.