I think what we’re seeing is that the “conservative base” isn’t that conservative. Romney and Santorum are identical except for Santorum’s so-called “social conservatism.” They’re both big-government, nanny-staters, who in their own way are little different from Obama.
Gingrich is the only one who is offering a different and truly conservative vision. If the “base” doesn’t want it, I’d say that’s because over the last few years, the “base” has been moving away from the individualism, self-reliance and entrepreneurialism that we associate with conservative thought and simply accepting the socialist welfare-state as the default model. Perhaps Obama’s biggest triumph, with his virtually unopposed dictatorial actions and his only slightly opposed imposition of government in every part of our lives, was to reveal that Americans have lost whatever it was that made us different.
All we want now is our place at the welfare state trough, freedoms be damned.
“I think what we’re seeing is that the “conservative base” isn’t that conservative.”
Exactly. Been saying this for months. Mis-reading the american electorate has been and will be doom for the right.
“All we want now is our place at the welfare state trough, freedoms be damned.”
Unfortunately. the largest group of emotional, uninformed voters will win this election. And they’re not conservatives. BTW, they’re certainly not “pure conservatives” either.