I can’t think of any such analysis off the top of my head. Sorry. I’ll look around, though.
But frankly, I think it’s self-professed conservatives who keep compromising principle who constitution the biggest obstacle to the restoration of our republic. Starting with most of the so-called “leaders.”
That compromise makes true “unity” impossible, by the way, because the only true unity is around principle, not parties, and not personalities.
If there is an appearance of unity, but it is not around principle, it is inevitably short-lived, and only leads to more destruction and division in the end.
Agreed. There are distinctly different types of conservative. The ones who back principles are mixed up with the ones who want to protect what they have and the ones who want to be left alone. That mixing leads to compromises. Not all compromises are bad things because a decision needs to be made when circumstances causes principles to come into conflict. Just as morality is indeed relative depending upon which moral precept has higher authority under special circumstances. At those times we seek guidance. The bad form of compromise comes when there are actors with hidden agendas and they are either in authority or their sociopathy gives them skills to mislead the group.
IOW, I agree that we’ve been compromised right out of our socks, but it’s happened over a very long time. It was too easy for the evil because they too easily hide among the sheep. They were very good at deflecting suspicions and turning the tables on those who were wary. The type of conservatives who are afraid of rocking the boat usually had the most money (to lose) and influence, and that type almost always side with the cooler heads. You’re seeing it now in the rush to back Romney.
And in that you have to give a nod to the progs hiding out in the GOP — they have been great at playing it cool in public. (The only time they get ferocious is when a principled conservative confronts them; and then they’ll get very hostile but only if it is in private or under controlled circumstances. I bet you’ve been on the receiving end of such treatment more than once.)