The response from the Rockefeller Republicans is:
You can't win with just the conservative votes either.
While that trite little piece of drivel sounds good in sound bites it is misleading. Nobody has ever said, "Screw it all we need is conservatives votes, everyone else can go pound sand."
What conservatives have to offer rings true with almost everyone because that is usually how they live their lives.
People are innately, if not consciously, aware that you can't spend more than you take in.
They crave and seek out the stability of a nuclear family.
They know there is something unique called "American" and that no matter where you come from you can become an "American"... without a hyphen.
They play by the rules and are insulted when those in charge of enforcing the rules look the other way, whether it is on Wall Street or the border.
If conservatives make a positive appeal to how people live their lives then they can bring in more than the self-identified conservatives.
I agree; the response to the Rockefeller Republicans should be that candidates who run and then govern on true conservative principles do in fact win. At least in the productive areas of the country. And, when you get down to it, following the conservative principles you outlined is simply the “right thing to do.” (I know; alien concept in Washington).
While the Rockefeller Republicans are right in that a conservative has no chance taking Maxine Waters’ or Nancy Pelosi’s seat, it’s still the right way to live your life and govern a country. Once you compromise away from this principle, then it’s just about power.
We just aren’t going to play that game any more. The GOP better realize that or it will become extinct.