Quote from AAAintheBeltway:
I don't see it as a problem at all. Parties exist to represent voters. For a long time the republican establishment has seemed to think voters exist to support them. Voters are saying they would rather take a chance on electing a conservative in a year when outsiders are doing well than settle for a career politician like Castle, who is a more liberal version of Arlen Spector.
It's interesting that these liberal and country club republicans attack their own party members far more aggressivley than they do the democrats. Castle has a lot of nerve complaining about the campaign, since he ran a smear campaing based on lies and half truths. Even after the election, the Delaware republican party's website had articles attacking O'Donnell.
They couldn't bring themselves to attack Obama as an untested radical activist with a long history of shady associations, but they have no such problems going after the woman who was their candidate against Biden in '08.
The fact is, none of this is new. It goes back to the 1950's and even longer. Then it was the Eastern Establishment republicans, led by the Lodges and Bushes, against the western conservatives, led by Barry Goldwater. The country club republicans despised Ronald Reagan and were certain he was unelectable. Their candidate was Gerald Ford, then George H. W. Bush.