To me the problems are obvious. We have had no conservative leadership in a long time. The GOP is no longer a conservative party.
Any Republican running anymore is termed a conservative if he has one or two principles to tout. Kind of like GWB.
The definition has changed. Look no farther than right here on FR. It is often hard to tell if FR is a Republican site, or a conservative sight. If every person around here was zotted every time they displayed a notion that didn’t seem conservative, there wouldn’t be many left.
Many who post here, really do believe they are a conservative, but they are not. That is why Fred had so little support.
The strong tent Reagan built has become tainted. All the factions that worked in unison to create the perfect machine are at war, each looking to get the most power and show the other guys who’s in charge. Sad thing, because as a result, the whole tent has fallen.
We had some conservatives in Congress, but we didn’t have a total conservative in the WH. The Compassionate conservative was created to disguise what we see openly see on display now.
As to Fred, he was kind of drafted, he entered later than the others. He was expected by most of us to be what we wanted him to be and not who he is. I commend him for making an effort to try to fill the void and unite the GOP.
Problem he had is that the GOP obviously does not want a conservative in the WH.
There it is - the truth summarized.