> You say "branding" as if the names of BOTH parties don't stretch back to the early days of our democracy
Unless you are referring to the fact that it borrowed the unused half of the Democratic-Republican Party’s name after the Democratic Party had stopped using it, the Republican Party and its name only stretches back to the early days of the Republic by a very generous interpretation of “early”.
Why would I not be referring to that? It's literally where the name comes from. Are you trying to argue that it was separate group and therefore different? Because the original Democratic-Republicans are all dead regardless.
Unless you are referring to the fact that it borrowed the unused half of the Democratic-Republican Party’s name after the Democratic Party had stopped using it, the Republican Party and its name only stretches back to the early days of the Republic by a very generous interpretation of “early”.