Thompson and Hunter are both main-stream conservative Republicans of the '80's and '90's. The GOP and the country have lurched HARD left this decade as the Greatest Generation aged out of the electorate and Boomers consolidated power in both parties.
But you're missing the irony of following it up with this.
The Mittbots are the same ones that fractured the base in the first place by pushing Rudy. They think we were just put-off by Rudy's lack of morality. They don't realize a gun-grabbing totalitarian socialist is unacceptable to a good many no matter how pretty the wrapper. Mitt/Rudy: 'the trains will run on time.'
Blame the "Mittbots" all you want. It's America that's different. It has changed a lot. You pointed that out yourself. You can't blame the Republican party for going where the votes are, and where the interest of the voters lies. They're running a business, and that's to win elections.
There's no room in that line of work for ironclad moral conviction. Expecting that out of them is unrealistic. There's no tangible benefit to falling on your sword for principles your constituents aren't really in favor of. It's the job of conservatives to sell conservatism as the best option. The Republican party is merely chasing opinion blocks large enough to keep it in power.
Perhaps.
But they had best get those chapter 13 papers ready, because a good chunk of their “customers” aren’t buying, and without them the GOP is going to slide into irrelevance.
I’m not even remotely interested in the Democrat lite flavor.
The GOP during Reagan's tenure, and the class of '94 did not succeed in winning elections because it pandered to the least-common-denominator and 'followed the votes'. It succeeded because it put forth leaders who made the case for conservatism with ironclad conviction.
Where the votes lie may be in the socialist brainwashed masses. Where the best interests of these people and the country lie is in conservative principles and action. It's our job to lead to the right, not to follow the left over the cliff.
When the Dems move to the left, only half the country moves left and there's still a chance it will come back to the right. When the GOP moves to the left, the whole country moves to the left, and it doesn't come back. It's more devastating than having Dems in office.