Thomas Frank: Conservatives Want Republican Purge Trials

A 10-point purity test even Reagan would flunk.

By THOMAS FRANK

Across the land, grindstones sing as axes are sharpened for the RINOs. For years, conservatives have railed against these moderate "Republicans in Name Only," launching primary campaigns against them, pouring money into their opponents' campaign funds, and excluding them from committee chairmanships. But since 2006 the party's pulse has weakened, and the GOP's leaders have decided that nothing is more healthful in such a situation than hacking off a limb or two.

That, evidently, is the thinking behind the 10-point test for GOP candidates that was proposed last week by a group of Republican national committee members. If a candidate "disagrees" with three or more of the points—said disagreement to be determined by one's "voting record, public statements and/or signed questionnaire"—then they can forget about financial support from Republican central.