… For four decades, from 1968 to 2008, what was loosely described as the Republican establishment — the party’s congressional leaders, campaign operatives, donors, lobbyists and special interests — reigned supreme.
Every four years, the party’s presidential nominee secured the establishment’s stamp of approval. Endorsements from governors and senators — and a gigantic campaign chest fed by major Republican fund-raisers — were the main markers of that approval. …
Now, the Republican establishment, embodied in the Bush family, proud but powerless, is a relic of a past, brought to its knees by insurgent forces, not least of which is the ascendance of social media. CONT.
Thomas B. Edsall, New York Times