This is a terrible take. Dead wood is bad, sure, but there's worse, just as replacing a do-nothing fire fighter with an arsonist would be bad.

But on top of that... https://twitter.com/TimAlberta/status/1278358025435262977

Besides: What parties "really are" is what they decide in nominations; this is the party (in one instance) choosing to be loony rather than not. Yes, parties have their fringes always, but they only *become* that fringe when that's who they nominate.

The GOP won't nominate Trump unless it's already dysfunctional, sure. But when they do nominate Trump they embrace those tendencies in a way that a GOP that nominates Romney isn't quite. Not because it's hiding who it really is - but because it's chosen against that option.

And no, don't expect voters to bail us all out if a party embraces the crazy. Voters can't and won't do that, and (in large part) for good reason, but certainly for understandable reason. It's up to the parties to give reasonable options. Voters can't make them do that.