A decent point. Now it remains to be seen which candidates that rubric includes and precludes. Cruz is the only one to declare, his resume is beyond reproach, he is already #2 behind big-money Jeb, and the most recent poll I saw had 48 percent of the voters naming the conservative candidates (Cruz 13, Walker 12, Paul 9, Rubio 7, and Carson 7)... with 34 percent going to the GOPe names (Bush 20, Huckabee 8, Christie 6), and 15 percent going to "Other/Undecided" (among 6 or more other names).
Clearly, the support for a staunch limited-government candidate is there, no matter what Mr George Will says happened 50 years ago. All that really remains to be seen is if the 5 "TEA" candidates will split their votes more than the 3 GOPe candidates do... and we have over a year to watch that unfold. Declaring anyone with over 7 percent of the GOP vote right now as "not having a serious chance of winning" this early in the game says more about the speaker than the candidates.
(As much as I love Carson, and want a high cabinet post for him, I see him as one of the first to drop out. Paul will probably stay in for far too long, because that's what his father usually did. Hopefully Rubio can drop out fast, urging more Latino votes for Cruz, and leave Cruz/Walker as the solid ticket option over the Establishment guys that the MSM will be scheming for. I pray that Cruz and Walker have people in each camp discussing joining the other's ticket should they win/lose.)
Clearly, the support for a staunch limited-government candidate is there, no matter what Mr George Will says happened 50 years ago. All that really remains to be seen is if the 5 "TEA" candidates will split their votes more than the 3 GOPe candidates do... and we have over a year to watch that unfold. Declaring anyone with over 7 percent of the GOP vote right now as "not having a serious chance of winning" this early in the game says more about the speaker than the candidates.
Well, I suppose we will just have to wait and see.
But it is really not so much about the history of what happened half a century ago. Rather, it is about the fact that swing voters (i.e. independents) typically decide presidential elections; and they are much more likely to vote for the candidate that they perceive as being more centrist.