So here we are, looking at another major election in just over a year, and our intra-party divisions don’t just increase, they’re becoming an out-and-out canyon. You can see the conflict summed up in many ways: Tea Party vs. Mainstream, Movement vs. Establishment, Fringe vs. RINOs, and Chaos Marine vs. Imperial Space Marine. Okay, I made that last one up*. I find these terms inadequate, however. More and more, I find the real divide as Principle vs. Process.

Principle Republicans tend to perceive themselves as embracing our nation’s founding ideas. For the Principle Republican, small government is key. This is not necessarily a reference on locality, but rather on the presence of government in daily life. Indeed, you only need to look at San Francisco or Seattle to see that local government does not necessarily mean small government. The Principle Republican sees government as necessary — which largely differentiates him from more libertarian line of thought — but prefers a government as described in the Tao of Taos: one which has a light touch, where the people see themselves as accomplishing things rather than the government. Mark Levin’s book Liberty and Tyranny† eloquently describes the thinking of the Principle Republican.

For the Principle Republican, the process takes a back seat to principle. The advancement of liberty over tyranny, the genuine embrace of small government over big government, and the recognition of the individual over the state takes precedent. The ideas of the Founders are tantamount. This is not intended as a worship of past figures but, rather, as a recognition of their ideas. Principle Republicans prefer to hear their politicians speak about Liberty, especially if it has a capital “L.”