Conservatism works every time it’s tried.
It works better than a guy like McCain and Romney, that’s for sure. There are varying degrees of conservatism in between, though...and it’s like a sharks nest on FR. Attack anyone that is one or two issues off ‘your’ version of perfection...that seems to be the deal. That will ensure liberal wins all the time.
We need to vet our candidates before hand and come to a consensus on a handful...so they are well protected and capable of being in a position to win it. Right now we leave it up to the media. It’s a lose lose situation.