The "voted for Gore" group is a red herring. No matter how much someone protests that they are indeed conservative, voting for Gore indicates that they are either lying or not paying attention.
The third party voters should indicate that Bush's campaign alienated at least some of the base.
However, the vast majority of true conservatives I know voted for Bush.
Again, if the conservative stayed home, voted 3rd party, or voted for the more liberal candidate, then why isn't John McCain President?
Better yet, explain what campaign tactic Bush employed to win the SC and CA primaries, which pushed him on to nomination.
Because I am talking about the general election, not the primaries.
And if only registered Republicans were allowed to vote in the general elections, then maybe you could point to primary results--but you can't.
You also need to take into account the number of 3rd party people who voted for Bush, like myself.