As with many other things that hap-pened in the 1960s, the origin of the conflict between the governing wing and the ideological wing of the Republican Party is a bit fuzzy. Most date it to 1964, the year Barry Goldwater ran for president on a small-government platform and won only six states. The Republican civil war, as it is known to politicos, has now lasted five years longer than the cold war. It would be foolish to attach too much importance to a single battle. Even so, the budget vote in the House of Representatives at the close of 2013 marked an important shift. By voting for the deal, House Republicans defied the unelected bit of the party-which resides in think-tanks, lobbying organisations and political action commit-tees-by 169 votes to 62. In the run-up to the vote, lobby groups such as the Club for Growth, which awards congressmen points for voting against tax increases, and Heritage Action, which campaigns for fiscal and social conservatism, had urged Republicans to reject the deal on the ground that it was a spending rise in disguise. "I don't care what they do," John Boehner, the House Speaker, told a press conference after the vote. On December 17th the bill moved forward in the Senate, as 12 Republican senators voted not to filibuster it. It is now highly likely to pass.
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