When I see the justifications the Perry followers give I understand clearly who this slide to the left happens.
Even here on FR,there is more support because of personality than because of conservative principles. The posts by some Palin supporters are very much cultist. Perry supporters posts are full of Texan bravado and spin. Romney Posts and Guilianni posts were much the same. Many FReepers never bought in to the Tea Party theme that we needed conservative change, not just change more conservative than Obama. That's the weak, effete, Republican elite's position, "we're pretty, we're rich, and we're better than Obama". It's a selffullfilling prophesy when you don't support someone because they don't have enough support. This is what I believe is happening to Bachmann.
Whoever gets the Republican nomination, if they are not conservative enough to get the Tea Party people to rally around them, there will be a third party candidate which, in all likelihood, will mean an Obama victory. I hope the Republicans learned from the Perot candidacy, when the establishment Republicans turned a deaf ear to the legitimate complaints of Perot supporters. If not, the same, ruling class Republican elites will be to blame for Obama's second term.