What we think she's doing is twofold:
1. She's going after off blue-collar Democrat voters
2. She's sending a not-so-subtle message to the Republican party establishment. It goes something like this:
"If you continue to favor Vichy Republicans (like Crist) at the expense of conservatives (like Rubio), you will have lost the base. Continue to ignore the grassroots at your own peril. They are already angry with you, and if you do not show them some love, you will have lost them, possibly forever."
But that's our opinion.
...and I tend to agree.
I agree with your version.
However, she said, “I WILL BE CAMPAIGNING FOR CONSERVATIVE INDEPENDENTS AND DEMOCRATS.”
She’ll be campaigning for Democrats if I take her at her word, but they won’t be conservatives because there simply aren’t any. Does she really think there are? Evidently so.
That’s why I think this statement was ill thought out and another mistake.
Reagan went after blue collar Democrats. He didn’t go on the campaign stump to get Democrats elected.