“Reagan was one who knew the importance of incrementalism…often backed those of his party that were less than bedrock Conservatives…knew the art & importance of compromise.”
Here’s the difference. Reagan actually had the bedrock conservative principles, and when he compromised, it was—as you say—in the interest of eventually winning the war.
RINOs do not *have* the bedrock conservative principles, and when they compromise, it is in the interest of their own political careers.
While it is true that sometimes you have to ally yourself with those that are mostly, but not totally of your mindset to win the war, and that these wars are not won overnight, we must remember that these wars are *never* won if no battles are ever fought, and fought to win.
RINOs don’t fight those battles, much less fight to win.
“If guys like Keyes & EV had their way, & ran nothing but true blue, rock solid Conservatives in liberal states”
Neither of them has proposed that. They have taken note of the fact that Brown’s positions on baby-killing and sodomite “marriage” are not conservative. They didn’t say he shouldn’t have run, or shouldn’t have been elected. It’s just a matter of seeing things as they are.
That said, we’re not really faced with the prospect of running nothing but rock solid conservatives; we are faced rather with a GOP that seems to deplore conservatives and support nothing but RINOs in primaries and elections. And that is something about which a conservative can reasonably complain. It is also reasonable for a conservative to favor cleaning the RINOs out of the GOP, and running more conservative candidates. Not blindly and recklessly, as so many here wish to assume, but rationally and with full consideration of political realities.
“Why have they been losing lately? They forgot what got them there, & have started running nothing but libtards & pushing their unpopular ideology.”
So, pushing an evil, destructive ideology grounded in lies is the equivalent of pushing a rational, tried and true, successful ideology grounded in truth?
The fact that many people seem to recoil in horror from the demonrat ideology when finally they confront it is in no way an indication that they would recoil from conservatism in the same way.
“It’s all NOW or nothing.”
No, no one has proposed that or anything like it. That was fabricated and attributed to conservatives so that their opponents would have a criticism that at least sounds rational.
I think you’re missing the point. Even though Reagan had bedrock conservative principles, he still backed those that were less than bedrock, & didn’t go around calling them RINOS like we’ve seen here w/ Keyes et al.
There have been some here in this very thread espousing the “all or nothing” mentality. It’s not uncommon here.
I agree w/ you however that a problem the GOP has had is not w/ the liberal states, but often running RINOS in Conservative states. Especially given recent events, it’s time to seize the moment in those areas. Will they?
Lastly, I’m as big a fan of Reagan as there is, but you do realize he wasn’t 100%. Look up his record on gun control & amnesty. Doesn’t lessen him one iota in my mind.