Reagan was principled and high minded (and I mean that as an admiring compliment) but that no longer sells in certain high population density areas of this country.
I was saddened to see the Tea Party marginalized and do think it could have energized more conservatives. But the stark political reality of today is that America is now a left-of-center country. Reagan’s vision would be a tough sell to the increasingly large number of Takers in our society.
Those people want a nanny state, and they want income redistribution. They could care less about individual liberty, personal freedom, or even upward mobility. Until that system breaks down (and it inevitably will) true conservatives are going to have strong political headwinds against them.
Jeez give it rest and sell your rinoisms elsewhere, to someone else, the republicans ran a man who hated Reagan, hated conservatism, who gave us Obamacare and gay marriage, who is an incompetent, gaffe ridden politician and anti-Christian cult leader who ran AGAINST Reaganism and the tea party and lost, Reagan didn’t lose anything.
Reagan would have rolled over Obama and we would have the Senate, and America would be better educated on conservatism.
Reagan and Romney are the opposites. Reagan would have had it easier today, Romney has always been a loser.
This time Reagan would have the tea party and Sarah Palin, conservative media, the Congress, Governorships, state houses, talk radio, advantages that he didn’t have, and that Mitt largely rejected as they were the hated conservatives.