"I was thinking the same thing -- Republican Party of the 80's forward is much more conservative then in the past."
Certainly, for our lifetime. The issue now, post-Gingrich, appears to be fear about losing some seats in congress, rather than practicing what many GOP members were elected on. Coupled with a mostly unified opposition (Reagan could count on some Dem votes on some conservative initiatives), the balance of power on conservative issues then rests with a small group of liberal Republicans.
What's needed now is an organized drive to pop them out during party primaries, since gerrymandering makes it very hard for incumbants to get knocked out. Conservatives need to be unafraid to go against GOP incumbants.
As to if this is the most conservative the party has ever been, how would today's version rank against pre-New Deal Republicans?
Because that 20 year period of Democrat hold on the presidency, followed by decades of congress dominance, effectively shaped the GOP as a consequence. I think the party got less conservative, due to the need to get elected. The national consensus appeared very strong for government intervention in the economy and society, and candidates from Landon to Nixon were tended to be liberal.
On the other hand, there had to be some soft of strong core support for conservatism, the north-eastern wing of the party notwithstanding. For if not, why did so many white conservatives defect from the Democrats, and not the other way around?
soft of = sort of