So the point being made is that ever since the Southern Strategy, the platform of the Republican Party has had sops for the proles and meat for the aristocracy. As it's the aristocracy that provides lobbying money but the proles that give you your votes, you need to ban gay marriage while also repealing the inheritance tax. You need to promote prayer in school while gutting environmental regulations. You need to rail about terkerjerbing immigrants while reducing the marginal tax rates on corporations. Because while the Democratic party is, historically, a social construct the Republican party is a fiscal one.

I mean, read this shit. Dude was effectively to the left of Clinton, never mind Cruz or Trump. It was the sound trouncing of Goldwater in '64 that launched the GOP on a quest for "values" because they simply didn't have the numbers to do what they want (which is 'make money' pure and simple).

So when they say "donors, elected officials, court intellectuals and leading activists" they mean "everybody that isn't the Tea Party." More here.