in being superficial, maybe he embodies the suburban voter that he speaks of, that the GOP has lost over the last 20 years. These people don’t know how badly the Democrat/ Socialists can hurt them.
EXACTLY!
The lesson is not that the GOP has to go more conservative (though that's part of it). The lesson is that fewer and fewer voters understand why conservatism is superior. The GOP must do a better job in campaigning for ideas, not just candidates. Running conservatives without that will just draw more votes in states that are already won.