[usafa92]

That is true insofar as Reagan trying to turn the tide, but the GOP was hopelessly moderate from Coolidge through to Regan. Ford was milquetoast and a RINO in Congress, Bob Michel was a moderate as House Minority Leader, Nixon was a moderate a President, Ike was moderate although a pretty good President.

[pepsi_junkie]

Bush put a stake in it by apparently establishing the rule (perhaps from his time as a CIA spook) never admit to who you really are and what you really want. Back in the day there were lefty republicans. Rockefeller was a liberal republican, everyone knew it and he didn't shy away from it and there were a well known group of them that admitted it too. Before Bush I there were people like that, out of the closet GOP lefties. after Bush I there weren't. Oh, there were but they all said they were rock ribbed severe conservatives and never meant a word of it.

Just look at who got nominated after Bush 1: Dole. Bush 2. McCain. Romney. It's pretty obvious who runs the 'conservative' party and what they stand for.

[Reily]

They were “moderate” because that’s what the public wanted - continuation of FDR’s New Deal, i.e. socialism lite! Any Republican who even hinted at rolling back the New Deal got no where! Does Barry Goldwater ring a bell? The best you were going to get was a “sort-of-we-can-manage-it-better-with-conservative-principles” or as my late father describes “Me To-ism “.

The public wanted “socialist magic” how can a GOP politician say no if he wanted a career in politics. It’s still that way!