lost in the shortterm attention commanded by donald trump in the first republican primary debate was a longterm problem for the party created by questions that compelled the candidates to take positions at odds with a majority of americans while the debate questions were smart and sharp they were also predicated on many conservative litmus tests when the subjects of abortion samesex marriage immigration and religion were aired they elicited responses that while pleasing to a core constituency will be a tough sell in the general election adherents can get their news in a manner that validates their beliefs notwithstanding that the objective of those outlets is to draw clicks from adherents based on controversy that would not exist in a world of compromise how its own media prevents gop shift to the middle