We, the former Republicans know that a party, like a man that does not believe in anything will try to become everything. Never has worked and never will.
If the AP is telling the truth and not just spreading propaganda to anger, or divide and conquer, then you're right.
The problem is we Americans can no longer trust the press. They have a lower favorability than politicians. We'll have to wait and see what's actually said by our candidates before the elections. That will tell us whether or not we really have to dig our bunkers a little deeper, or whether the Pravda media is in full fledged attack mode.
This may be a trick to get the right leaning uninformed voter (independants) to believe it's real. They see the nasty headline "republicans support illegals and queers" , and decide not to vote at all.
Never trust what you read form the left wing press. It's best to watch and report things on your own. A "Wait and see" attitude is much safer.