One thing the right wing can't seem to learn any more than the left is that when you are in power, you still have responsibilities greater than your own personal agendas. Republicans made many grandiose promises, but delivered on few. They failed to learn that major legislative initiatives by default require some compromise, since nothing substantial can be achieved in this Country without it.
Republicans drew their lines in the sand with immigration, energy, taxes, and social security. As a result we got an unfunded fence but no real immigration reform. We got some tax credits for oil companies, but no real comprehensive energy independence; We got some temporary tax cuts, but no tax reform. We got nothing on social security, one of the mainstay promises of the Republican Party.
Instead we were toasted with such innovations as the Terri Schiavo legislation (what happened to federalism?), efforts to pass a gay marriage amendment and an anti-free speech amendment; stem cell debates, prayer in schools, Ten Commandment debates, evolution teaching in schools, ballooning budgets and enough corruption to make the mafia blush.
Were those the "correct" positions you were referring to?
And while the right wing was decrying the Gang of 14, who managed to get a bunch of judicial nominees confirmed, they praised Brownback who put several holds on Bush nominees because they did not share his fundamentalist beliefs.
Yeah, toss out the moderates in the Party and prepare for a very long wait for another chance at leadership such as the one we blew completely.
Personally, if the GOP nominates Rudy, McCain, Pataki, Romney or any other RINO - I'm voting third party. I would rather see the GOP lose, then to see them win with a candidate that does not reflect my core convictions.
I hear that a lot here, but in the end, the right wing has no place to go. The moderates do. Americans are basically conservative and have a way of exorcising the extremists from both sides when they get too comfortable.