“Conservatism is all about choosing the lesser of two evils, always.
The other side can delude themselves into voting for positive visions and fairy tales, but real conservatives cannot, ever.”
That’s not “conservatism”, but “pragmatism”.
It is pragmatism that has put the country in the present predicament.
Pragmatism is an essential component of the classic idea of conservative thought.
Start from Burke, or from Russel Kirk, Toqueville, or even Montequieu if you like, but thats what it is.
Non-pragmatic ideological conservatism is almost an oxymoron.