What is one of the basic characteristics of the Republican Party?

Smaller government which means little to no government intrusion in state's business and individual rights. Pro business which means tax cuts that help bolster company profits. Used to be Fiscal responsibility but that fell by the wayside with all the approved war funding for Iraq and Afghanistan, Wall Street and Bank bailouts and the aforementioned tax benefits via corporate and wall street Deregulation policies. That's 3 tenets instead of the 1 requested.