There Will Always Be a "Herrenvolk" Party

As I read about the conflict within our Republican Party, between its "Establishment" and "Social Conservative" factions, I am reminded of an earlier political party in the U.S., the Whig Party.  The "Whig Party" is said to have supported modernization and economic protectionism.  It was basically a "Herrenvolk" party of the Northern and Southern elites.  But the Whig Party ultimately imploded over a social issue: slavery.  It was a question of social and political status: were slaves from Africa humans with equal rights?  Whigs in the Northern and Southern regions were divided on the answer, and eventually they separated into other political parties. 

One of the political parties that arose from the ashes of the Whig Party was the Republican Party.  They didn't support slavery.  They appeared to confer human status, even equal status, to the African slaves.  One of the new Republicans, Abraham Lincoln, just wanted initially to restrict slavery to the states where it already existed.  He saw this as a compromise position.  But Southern states feared that his policies would end their "status quo."  Such policies would certainly mean that any new States created on this large continent could not be counted upon as allies of the Southern states.  So, after Lincoln's election to the Presidency, they sued for independence.  That led to the U.S. Civil War.

At this point in our history, it appears to me that our Republican Party is faced with a similar fracture, this time over Hispanic immigration and homosexuals.  America's "Herrenvolk" party is faced again with a question of whether equal status should be granted, this time to Hispanic immigrants and homosexuals.  It is a question of whether homosexuals and Hispanic immigrants shall be given equal status to the Herrenvolk, and again there is a division.  Based on our history, I do believe there will be a number who cannot accept Hispanics and homosexuals as equals.  They will form a minority party.  The remainder, though diminished in number, will be the genesis of our new Herrenvolk party.

Machiavelli observed long ago that in every republic there are two conflicting factions, that of the people and that of the nobles.  Our Republicans perceive themselves as "the party of the noble," but I perceive them as the party of the Herrenvolk, who perceive themselves as noble.  Following the above analysis, I believe their influence will be diminished for a while.  But they will return, to represent those who regard themselves as the new nobles of our society.  Most likely this will be based upon their wealth.  Sexual orientation and national origin will no longer matter.