You make an excellent point. I am of the belief, sadly, that real progress in the Conservative cause is often dependent upon harm done by the excesses of Liberalism. It was no surprise that Reagan followed Carter’s disastrous term. It takes a jolt to rouse the moderates etc. from their slumbers.
I think you're right. There aren't enough conservatives in this country to elect a conservative president by ourselves--we win when the "moderates" perceive that it's in their interest to vote for a conservative candidate, as they did with Reagan. Unfortunately the majority of voters are either liberal or "moderate" (I believe conservatives only make up about 30% of the electorate), and the "moderates" tend to pay very little attention to the issues, so they don't really know what various candidates stand for.