No, no. I’m saying Conservatism did NOT lose in 2006. The Republican party did. When I saw Democrat candidates running that year AS IF they were Conservative Republicans, I knew that it wasn’t the ideology that was unappealing. Very few were running as unabashed liberals. In my state of TN, Junior Ford in his race for the Senate ran to the RIGHT of the RINO nominee. Indeed, if I wasn’t aware of his voting record and party label, I’d have though Ford was a Black Republican.
Ultimately, as I cited, the individual incumbents had differing reasons for their losses that ultimately added up to the anti-GOP tidal wave, but as I said, it had nothing to do with a repudiation of Conservatism (even if we know now the Dems had no intention of implementing policies for the right), indeed, it was an affirmation. It was singular disgust for the GOP. Now we’re seeing a repeat this year, anti-GOP, not anti-Conservative.
I’m not sold on that interpretation. If it was one guy, yes. But Santorum, Burns, Hayworth, one of the IN House guys, Talent, Allen-—that’s just way too many “exceptions.” And I’m not sure how “conservative” the dems were who ran, or how conservatively they portrayed themselves. Webb, for ex., certainly didn’t portray himself as “conservative” on the war; and in OH, DeWine was beaten by a vastly more lib candidate.