Thinking back to the 1980 election, Reagan was the “ultra-conservative” candidate and Bush was the “moderate”. Reagan got the nomination and went on to obliterate Carter, winning over 40 states. So there’s an example of a candidate’s conservative credentials not hindering his chances of winning.
Reagan was able to win because of the lousy economy, the gas lines, stratospheric interest rates, the Carter malaise, and the Iran hostages, and the MSM didn’t appear to be that much in the tank with Carter, as they are now with Obama.
Just Say No to BO in 2012 !