That’s the start, recognizing that power isn’t given, it’s taken. The next step is the discrediting of the extremists as a sufficiently large base to hold power themselves, without moderation. That will take either an electoral loss of McGovernesque dimensions or a massive, simultaneous loss of Congressional seats, though, and that isn’t likely to happen this time.
Or simply a candidate of sufficient personal magnetism might be enough to pull the party along with him toward the center, IOW a Republican Clinton.
debaser, “liberal Massachusetts” is a myth, like “Taxachusetts”, albeit a cherished one among your faction (Reagan won it both times, FYI). The division here at state level is insider/outsider. Romney got elected as an outsider with a clean image, not because of or in spite of his party affiliation, and remember that Kennedy cleaned the floor with him in his Senate campaign. If he wants to go national, he needs some accomplishments to point to other than the Salt Lake Olympics, and those aren’t in evidence - which is due to the office having little real power, but he knew that coming in. We’re on our 4th consecutive Republican governor, “outsiders who will clean up the mess”, incidentally, the last 3 having quit in frustration after trying to buck the system instead of work with it. Romney’s making similar noises after a similar tenure in office.
Weld? You can’t be that desperate. His last display of political ambition was in Nixon’s Saturday Night Massacre. His is not the face of the future.
(well, if they ever allow foriegn born to become president that is, so probably not).