[EasySt]

"The choice is very simple: A)Move toward the squishy center on some — not all — issues in an attempt to attract the squishy center.

B)Put up a “symbolic candidate” who will lose and wait until the squishy center turns significantly conservative at some point in the future."

There are many in that "squishy center" that will respond to an honest conservative candidate if they are offered one, but that squishy center isn't really part of, and doesn't pay much attention in, early primaries.

Now that our primaries have been front loaded and stacked in such a way as to eliminate any conservatives early in the race, we're left with a choice between a republican who doesn't want us to know he's a Democrat, and a Democrat who doesn't want us to know s(he)'s a Socialist.

By the time most conservatives get to vote, we no longer have a candidate in the race.

Conservatives are officially orphaned from the GOP by the GOP. Y'all have fun now, while conservatives do what conservatives do, which is keep looking for conservatives to vote for. (Too bad there aren't any left in this race...)

Squishy is squishy. Squishy can be molded, motivated and inspired. Conservatives already are molded, motivated and inspired people. The GOP is trying to change the nature of conservatives, rather than trying to inspire and motivate the malleable middle. It's a bad move, and the GOP will lose because of it.

[durasell]

An excellent post. Thank you. Really.

It leaves me wondering what issues the squishies (for lack of a better word) would respond to in a conservative candidate?

[traditional1]

"we're left with a choice between a republican who doesn't want us to know he's a Democrat, and a Democrat who doesn't want us to know s(he)'s a Socialist."

Well said...

I believe the modern, politically-correct terms we're bombarded with are moderate, and progressive, as the general public has difficulty seeing through the spoon-feeding.....