[Cedric]

Some folks tried to make it Democrat-Lite. That’s why the Party can’t win elections.

Tell that to Rick Santorum.

[Just mythoughts]

Tell that to Rick Santorum.

Here you go again... Santorum lipped locked himself to the liberal looser sell out Spector and was against a conservative candidate.

[chimera]

Add George Allen, Jim Talent, Conrad Burns, J. D. Hayworth to the list. All Trueconservatives^TM who got the boot in recent election cycles. We need to face reality here, people. The country is more liberal than it was 25 years ago. These aren't the 1980s anymore. Conservatives (even Trueconservatives^TM) can still win elections, but they have to have a broader appeal than just to the hard core ideological base. It will also take some measure of luck and a convergence of external factors. Reagan did it in 1980 and 1984, Goldwater failed in 1964.

It's as plain as the nose on our face. All three 'Pub defections were from states in the deepest of blue regions of the country. In an average election year, a Trueconservative^TM simply isn't going to win these days in those states. The demographics are against us; we simply don't have a broad base of support in those states anymore. The 'Pubs who have traditionally been successful candidates in those states have been liberal-moderate. A Trueconservative^TM who only appeals to the hardcore conservative base will win maybe 10-20 of the vote. We're seeing the same thing happening in places like CA and the Midwest. The demographics have shifted tremendously in the last 10-15 years.