>
Article snippet: WASHINGTON — The Republican Party likes to think of itself as a big tent — not always a harmonious one, but full of all types. In the minds of many, however, it’s grown too full, and badly needs an excision. Now more than at any point in its modern history, the party has reached such a breaking point that historians, political analysts and Republicans themselves say it faces the possibility of splintering and spawning a third party. “We haven’t lanced the boil,” Stephen K. Bannon, President Trump’s former chief strategist, said in an interview, evoking the swelling tensions between the anti-establishment agitators like himself, who mostly align with Mr. Trump, and the party’s ruling class in Washington, which seems to grow more mistrustful of the president by the day. “They all thought they were going to lance the boil the day after the election, when they had the catastrophic Trump defeat,” Mr. Bannon added. “And that’s when all accounts would be settled.” Instead, Mr. Trump’s election has continued to vex his party. The partnership and cooperation that would ordinarily flow from one-party control in Washington are virtually nonexistent, leaving the president and his party with very few legislative victories so far. And his lack of political loyalty or ideological mooring — he stunned Republicans by striking a short-term fiscal deal with Democrats last week — has left Washington guessing about which new alliance or policy U-turn might come next. But for all the ... Link to the full article to read more