The third group, it must be admitted, somewhat unsteadily combines neoconservatives proper (such as William Kristol) with old-fashioned defense hawks (such as Donald Rumsfeld), but perhaps this is the Republican "big tent" we keep hearing about.

In any case, this neat three-part logic was roiled by two events in 2008: the "Great Recession" and the election of Barack Obama as president. The latters decision to respond to the crisis with a fairly traditional mix of demand-side remedies — some tax cuts, some increased spending — ignited a fire storm on the right. CNBCs Rick Santelli is often fingered as the principal arsonist.