Really? Which conservatives stayed home in 2008? In my district, we re-elected our conservative congresscritter by a comfortable margin, but 0 carried the district by a whisker. We just got out-hustled - and we learned, as evidenced by a landslide win for a conservative (R) governor-elect over his (D) opponent, for whom 0 campaigned vigorously. And OBTW, GWB couldn’t be bothered 4 years ago to campaign for our conservative (R) gubernatorial candidate then. So save your lectures. Conservatives will turn out in DROVES for a conservative candidate when supported by the party but aren’t energized by some fossilized old phart same-old same-old candidate.
Lighten up...no one was lecturing anyone. I was talking about the 2008 Presidential election, not Colorado. Plenty of conservatives, uninspired by the RINO McCain, stayed home. That's a cold hard fact. You ARE right that conservatives will turn out in droves for a conservative candidate IF we can get them on the ballot. We didn't have one on the 2008 ballot, and Obama beat him like a drum.
Tea Party Conservatives must become an organized coalition within the Republican Party. It is the avenue to regain control.
Four years ago some GOP candidates didn't WANT Bush campaigning for them.