jinx, you've pretty much hit the nail on the head. The Republican Party has been taken over by the far right wing, mostly ultra-conservatives and fundamentalists, and are far less interested in doing what's right for the country than in doing what's right for them. As seen by their past, and current, attempts to disenfranchise large portions of the population who are likely to vote a more liberal ticket, and their continuing attempts to derail the ACA (Obamacare). The numbers I've seen show that more than 59% of the American people are in favor of implementing the ACA, while less than 25% are actively against it, yet the Tea Party fiddles around, forcing some 41 votes to defund the ACA through the House, knowing that the Senate would never pass such a bill. Meanwhile, Rome burns.

The best explanation I've heard (I believe it was on Bill Maher) for the GOP's fanaticism is that they are afraid that the ACA will actually work, and show them for the greedy, insensitive bastards that they are. My feeling has been, let the damned thing start, let it work, or not work, and fix things from there. If it does what the GOP keeps implying it will do, which I don't think is even remotely possible, they will be perfectly positioned to sweep the presidency and both sides of Congress in 2016. And may the FSM help us all if that happens!