I'd go farther than that. It isn't a "big tent" philosophy. It is a group of liberals who are deliberately putting a stain on the Republican party because they WANT it to move LEFT. Take a look at who is calling for a "rebranding." Schwarzenegger and his Cali goon squad that are on record as wanting a "Purple Party." The GOP leaders in California have been trying to tell us that Steve Poisner is our best bet for Governor, a man who was a life-long democrat before seeking office as a Republican. Arnold and his cohorts won't lift a finger for some of the most basic conservative causes while leading the State into fiscal crisis with their big spending and borrowing schemes. I'm sure other states can come up with similar stories, Bill Perry comes to mind.
On a national level, we have Bill Kristol and his bunch trying to tell us that John McCain is the only savior for the GOP because he can avoid the tarnished "brand" despite the fact that it is the likes of McCain and Schwarzenegger who have led to the corrosion.
I wonder, in the days the CPUSA was very active, if any of these partisan campaign "strategerists," who care more about "winning" than actual goals or accomplshments, could take off their eyeshades long enough to notice that they had been INFILTRATED.
I think what Haynes says nails it on the head.
Another good article was posted HERE, highlighting the wrongheadedness of the Schwarzenegger call for "rebranding."
I think that was a main point of the article.