I've been stymied for years about finding the most accurate label to affix to the far, far Right, which dominates what used to be the Republican Party.
I don't like calling their Party "Republican", as my experience was that Republicans always carved out a role, albeit limited, for a positive government presence in American life.
That Republican Party doesn't exist anymore.
The term "Conservative" doesn't work, either, as "conservative" is defined as cautious about change and adherent to traditional values. The ultra-Right is unrestrained, audacious and contemptuous of rules. The combined term, "Conservative Republican", still understates the reality.
Some describe Right-wingers as "Libertarian", but mostly they aren't. Not when it comes to wasting tax dollars to overregulate people on public health or assistance, or determining who can live in America, or arbitrating those allowed to get married.
It is harder to recognize the existential distinction between Republicans and Democrats—that the Left favors labor over capital and the Right favors capital over labor. I grew up believing that both views are valid and that both blend elements of the other into their ideology. It was a matter of degree.
But not today.
The Far-Right resembles little the traditional Republican Party. Many of their policies undermine some of the holy canons of business. A strong public infrastructure to move goods and people, well funded public schools to feed a quality work force and fair and competitive business rules of engagement have been targets of the Right, not the Left.
