Who cares where the “center has shifted”? Truth has not shifted. Right has not shifted. The laws of nature have not been repealed, conservative values are what will make our country great.
If you are trapped in a building, and it is on fire, and there is only one right way out, if the “tide shifts” and people don’t believe you and they are all walking to the wrong exit, going along with them and leading them to that exit isn’t a good strategy,
That is, unless your goal was to be in charge, rather than actually accomplishing something.
If the center moved left, and I doubt it, the answer isn’t to move with it, it is to use sites like this to train smart people how to defend conservative principles so we can go out and remind people of the truth and teach them the error of their ways.
We can’t do that if we are spending all our time fighting a rear guard attack on our conservatism on our own site by people pushing a liberal candidate.
I think you are missing the point. Stating that the center has shifted is recognizing current political realities. It has nothing to do with the principles of right & wrong.
The real point is that conservatives need to take back certain institutions which effect public policy. This in itself is a long-term project; at least equal to the 50+ years it took the left to get the country to where it is today.
Until that is achieved, putting up conservative candidates who lack the personal charisma to shift popular opinion is akin to planting crops on a weedy, untended field. The results are predictable: failure.
That being said, the tide is on the side of conservatives: I'd be really surprised if Parker (2A) is not upheld by SCOTUS; as to abortion, science is on the pro-life side. Within a generation, there will be even more evidence of active brain waves, response mechanisms, etc in even early-term fetuses.
Since these two issues are slightly longer-term in nature, the WOT becomes paramount. I don't care who's running as long as they stand by a platform that advocates victory in Iraq & Iran.