I have a simpler analysis:
The real Conservative Movement is alive and well - thriving as never before under the able leadership of Donald Trump.
The only “conservatives” suffering a setback are the MSM anointed “conservative leaders” who are jealous of Trump’s success and resent him for it.
Self-appointed Conservative leaders have essentially the same problem as self-appointed black leaders - they are creations MSM.
The MSM has always ordained who will be the “black leaders”, like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, etc., bringing them on as guests, handing them a microphone as if they represent African Americans - but the AAs never had a say in this - it’s all a fiction created by the MSM, and the so-called black leaders are seduced by the media attention into believing it themselves.
The same is true of so-called “conservatives” like George Will, Bill Krystol, etc.. - 100% media creations - they are and always were nothing more than useful idiots for the Leftist media - they were not chosen by conservatives to speak for them - they were hand picked by the Left as token conservatives - they have no conservative following, but due to their vanity, they think they do.
In 2015-2016, their “leadership” was put to the test when they led with #neverTrump and nobody followed. Every Trump win was a humiliating defeat for them.
Conservative “leaders” have been dethroned, but the conservative movement is thriving. We have a POTUS who wakes up each morning at the crack of dawn and starts hunting down job-killing regulations, job-killing trade deals, job-killing taxes, job-killing sanctuary cities, baby-killing abortionists, truth-killing fake news outlets, 2nd Amendnent killing leftists, efficiency-killing bureaucracy, Liberty-killing judges, Western Civilization killing ISIS, America-killing globalists, etc., etc., etc...
Trump is the best thing that has happened to conservatives in a long time - he’s the worst thing that ever happened to the Left and the Left-anointed “conservative leaders”.
I wish had come up with your statement here, because you summed up my thinking over the past 25 years. Bravo!
Jesus Christ: You can't impeach Him and He ain't gonna resign.