The Whigs also fell apart because they had a stupid name that meant something a coupla hundred years earlier about being rebels and nonconformists.
The `Whigamores’ were Presbyterians opposed to a possible line of English Catholic kings starting with James II.
The name migrated over here and was applied to those who opposed a king-like democrat, Andrew Jackson.
Jackson started the practice of vetoing anything-and-everything he didn’t like that was proposed by Congress, although many argued he was violating Constitution delineation of powers between coequal branches of government. They really busted his balls.
But the Whigs imploded with Millard Fillmore, and were replaced by the Republicans in 1856.
Padre, if the GOP-e doesn’t have the stones to ride herd on a (very) pale imitation of A. Jackson, maybe we need to look into `Whigs: the Sequel’?