[counterpunch]

It's the SOCIALISM, Stupid!

Republicans need to return to the Gingrich model.
Social conservatism is a fine foundation, but it is nothing more than that — a foundation.
It is not an electoral strategy. It is not a governing policy.
Republicans need to realize that politicians are elected to govern. We need an agenda of government reform, rooting out corruption (not engaging in it), shrinking government, eliminating waste, modernizing and streamlining government, cutting red tape. This is what people want. 0bama hit these themes himself, frequently. Let us not forget, 0bama spoke out of both sides of his mouth, and one of those sides was the Right. Of course he's not going to do all of those conservative Republican sounding things he promised, but the closer we got to election day, the more he talked like one of us. America still holds these common sense ideals. The country didn't move left, 0bama simply head faked right. And McCain was incapable of articulating a grand vision.
 

[Brookhaven]

Social conservatives can be boiled down to two issues:

Gay marriage
Abortion

That’s it. Nothing else.

Are other issues important to them (like school vouchers, displays of religion in school)? Yes, but they pale in comparison to the big two (and on issues like school vouchers, you’ll find a lot of economic conservatives support that issue also for non-religious reasons.)

The social conservatives are not the drag on the party (unless you think we can’t win without being pro-choice, in which case you might as well give up, because that is the one non-negotiable issue social conservatives have.)