What you say is true for a segment of Republicans who are not social conservatives. However their is another segment who do not trust social conservatives for another reason. As you say social conservatives and blue collar dems have a lot in common, we suspect in economics also. Free market conservatives do not want a candidate who is socially conservative but populist in his economic policy. Kind of like a 1930’s style New Deal Democrat. I do not want a socially conservative hand in my pocket no more than a liberal democrats hand.
“Free market conservatives do not want a candidate who is socially conservative but populist in his economic policy.”
Fair enough in theory. But in general, if you look for reliable votes on cutting deficits and spending, look for social conservatives. It’s easy to talk about being a fiscal conservative. Most RINO’s do. Heck, even Zero has given “fiscal conservative” speeches.
OTOH, being a social conservative makes you a pariah in many places. So social conservatives have actually proven they will take ridicule and accusations of extremism to stand for what they believe in. The overwhelming majority of social conservatives are also fiscal conservatives. And they are more reliable voters in congress for fiscal conservatism than a lot of the folks thumping their chests about it because they are used to taking brickbats for their votes.
If by “populist,” you mean old-fashioned class warfare, I’m with you. But today, we have an entrenched ruling class that is most generously labeled “crony capitalist” and probably more accurately labeled “trending toward fascism.” There are big companies, big unions and big banks that are part of that sickness—they have become and stayed big thru governmental largess rather than competition. I don’t regard attacking them as related to the old-fashioned class warfare at all. They ought to have to compete without the help of their buds in the administration and congress. Give me that kind of populism any day.