The reality is that to win nationally, a party HAS to be a big tent party.
A faction can't spend all it's time chasing out those who have different viewpoints without destroying the party.
I disagree. There is another long-term solution - change the hearts and minds of enough citizens, so that your "faction" becomes the majority. Otherwise, IMO you've already admitted defeat (that your faction's ideas can ever be accepted with the greater public), and you've declared the most effective way to win at politics is to become a "moderate" or "populist".
You can gain control without chasing them out. It's all about which side sets the agenda and pushes it through. The Contract with America was a conservative agenda that proved to be a winner. We allowed the moderates to derail it and haven't recovered from it to this day. All I'm saying is let's make sure we control the agenda.
Like those on this site who tried to chase out critics of the Harriet Meyers SC choice?