The Republican party cannot win without social conservatives.
It also cannot win WITH them.
The more you move right on social issues, the more from the other side (independents, libertarians, others that we need) abandon ship.
And vice versa.
I have no idea what the Republican party does from here.
Unfort. the GOPe doesn’t had the wit to state WHAT they are for without being shown as hypocrites by their own actions. For me, they always bring up the ‘It’s not Fascism when WE do it’ poster.
Maybe if they actually believed in smaller gov’t and started trying to REDUCE it, instead of just paying lip service, those of us on the outs now may just hold our noses. Maybe kicked out a few judges for over-reaching. Shit, ANYTHING!
Again, for myself, I’m not counting on it. There’s too much piss leg/rain for that to happen anytime soon. And just voting for (R) in the HOPES that something may change is not a winning strategy.
Hard to say, because it hasn't been tried. At least not on a national level with conviction and enthusiasm. Leadership is not about giving the troops what they want, but leading them into the battle with the conviction of something bigger than themselves. The GOP has not fought hard for any principle because they do not have one other than their own self aggrandizement.
Romney was the most social liberal candidate in GOP history, and he lost to Jimmy Carter’s second term.