"I would have thought that 2006 was proof enough that alienating moderates was detrimental to the GOP."
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No. It was "alienating" the hard-core conservatives who threw tantrums because the Republican didn't fit their exacting standards of perfection. They were so calculatingly stupid, that they allowed their vote to go uncounted, and bolster one more lib vote without contest.
These were idiots who didn't realize that receiving a little from a Republican is better than having every taken away by a lib. Furthermore, these idiots didn't understand that the only good time to change your race horse is during the Primaries.
Women and first-time voters registered as Democrats in record numbers in 2006.
The "conservative" vote was irrelevant in the face of anti-Bush sentiment.
Conservatives turned out in large numbers and voted strongly Republican in 2006. We got killed among indys.