The GOP Is Trying To Change Its Image But Not Its Policies

The GOP has lost successive presidential elections.  It was successful in capturing a good share of the populist market by organizing the Tea Party, but there is more to the populist movement than the Tea Party.  They can't win general elections with only the Tea Party, and the super-rich on their side.  Consequently, they are trying to softer their image as the party of the rich.  It appears that they are more concerned about image change than they are about policy change.  Krugman points out some the discrepancies between what they say and what they are doing.  He tries to explain their behavior by arguing that they live in and information bubble which reinforces their central belief system.  He is not sure that this explains their behavior and I agree.  Oligarchies only tolerate democracy when they can control democratic outcomes.  The policies that the GOP supports, are the policies favored by their political masters.  They can't change the policies, so they can only work harder on marketing them.