They are willing, even eager, mrsmel, because they NEVER, EVER, liked conservatives. They hated Reagan. You saw that in 1980 when the GOP-e forced Poppy Bush on him as the #2 on his ticket - you know, to "balance" it out, cuz Reagan to the GOP-e was a crazy right-wing nut who was going to start WW III.
2010 scared the heck out of the GOP-e, and they're doing their damnedest to crush us.
That’s a good point. I do forget that this party hasn’t necessarily been socially conservative, going back far enough. The Moral Majority rose in the 80s, wasn’t it?