Many lanes on the road to the White House
Yes, this US election cycle really is different. Never before has the road to the Republican nomination had so many 鈥渓anes.鈥�
Remember when parties had wings? The Republicans had the Rockefeller wing and the conservative wing. Even the Democrats had a conservative wing of their own, back in the last century.
But here鈥檚 describing 鈥渢wo parallel contests鈥� unfolding within the Republican Party: 鈥淟azy pundits sometimes describe these two wings of the GOP as 鈥榚stablishment鈥� and 鈥榯ea party,鈥� but that鈥檚 not quite right. There鈥檚 not much of a functioning establishment any more, and the tea party has evaded definition since its birth.鈥�
A 鈥渕ore useful description鈥� of the situation, he wrote, is offered by Mark Murphy, a strategist for Jeb Bush. Mr. Murphy describes a contest between two 鈥渓anes鈥�: a 鈥渞egular Republican, positive conservative lane鈥� for Mr. Bush, plus Chris Christie, John Kasich, and Marco Rubio; and a 鈥済rievance lane,鈥� political home to Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, and Donald Trump.
鈥淓asy to tell which side Murphy鈥檚 on,鈥� Mr. McManus quipped. But note that he endorses not only Murphy鈥檚 classification, but also his terminology: lanes.
Lane, originally 鈥渁 narrow way between hedges or banks; a narrow road or street between houses or walls,鈥� is a certifiably ancient English word. The Oxford English Dictionary鈥檚 first usage example goes back to 971 (yes, 10th century). Oxford鈥檚 first example of the automotive听濒补苍别 is from an American publication in 1926: 鈥渢he so-called super-highway where eight or more traffic lanes are provided for....鈥�
Fortunately the GOP race hasn鈥檛 reached eight lanes. But are there only two? In late January, NBC鈥檚 鈥淢eet the Press鈥� listed three: 鈥渢he social conservative lane, the establishment lane and the Donald Trump lane.鈥� A last March identified five 鈥� religious voters, tea party voters, very conservative voters, moderate/establishment voters, and libertarians. In November the identified four lanes just within the GOP鈥檚 鈥渃onservative wing.鈥澛�
The lane analogy has its limits, though. Philip Bump, author of the Post piece, acknowledged: 鈥淲e develop these lanes as a rhetorical device, but the lines between the lanes are not clear.鈥�
Ah, yes. Drivers in Boston know something about unclear lines between the lanes. And how many lanes? You may think you鈥檙e in the correct lane to make a right turn, for instance, when the street suddenly widens, and some other driver slips around on your right.聽
How to stay far enough over to keep from getting passed on the right is precisely the challenge that many Republicans have faced in recent years.
has speculated, 鈥淧erhaps there are no 鈥榣anes鈥� at all, or perhaps the lanes function very literally in that changing from one to another is easy and appealing when the one you鈥檙e in is backed up.鈥�
And after the early contests, some candidates will find themselves in the lane marked 鈥渆xit only.鈥�
