In the GOP, conservatism seems to be dead. With the election of GOP leadership, it looks like the GOP did get the wrong message and will be too busy chasing the Democrats to the left instead of getting back to the core principles which gave them power in the first place. Very disappointing.
Calls for a restrained, non-activist, non-living Constitution judiciary, fit just fine in a policy agenda focused on getting back to the GOP's limited government principles. It obviously appeals to social conservatives who are frustrated to no end by the court's decades-long assault on traditional, mainstream values, but it should also appeal to economic conservatives, and even to libertarians who, even if they are socially liberal, have the slightest regard for having a Constitutionally-grounded judiciary.
For the first time I really want a 3rd party. A Conservative Party. We conservatives were a part of the Democrat Party until Reagan better represented us. Then we tried the Republican Party until the Bushes disenfranchised us. Now what?
Sure, it will be tougher to win approval of Supreme Court and other federal judges but it is only a few votes more difficult and even a well-framed loss might be politically helpful.
This guy is an idiot. Let me see... So conservatism won because Republicans (most of them conservative) lost. This guy acts like it was the "RINO"s that lost. Some liberal Republicans lost (like Chafee), but most of the Republicans that lost were conservative, anti-illegal, anti-big government conservatives (see Hayworth, Santorum, Allen, etc). Remember the past 12 years when Democrats lost, yet they claimed victory? This guy is the equivalent.