[ScottinVA]

You fight for those as an officeholder. We’re dealing with a center-left America now, in case you haven’t noticed. If you’re going to put the social issues in the forefront BEFORE you get elected, you’ll be watching someone else’s victory speech on election night.

Feel free to tell us which conservative Presidential candidate in the modern era has put the social agenda at the forefront and gone on to win the general election? And please... don’t insult yourself and the rest of us by responding with “Reagan.”

[noiseman]

"We’re dealing with a center-left America now..."

So now we know that Karl Rove's freeper handle is "ScottinVA." That simply is not true. The country is still center-right, but the GOPe wing of the party keeps running Democrat-lite and expecting different results. Contrary to your other assertion, every Republican candidate in recent memory has shied away from "social issues", and they've had their heads handed to them as a result. Why? The data clearly show it's because they alienated CONSERVATIVES and conservative-leaning independents.

The way to win the White House again is by being boldly conservative and explaining why conservatism is superior to liberalism, not by surrendering and mimicking liberals.

[trisham]

Reagan. Our last, best president.
"Our task is to make them see that what we represent is identical to their own hopes and
dreams of what America can and should be. If there are questions as to whether the
principles of conservatism hold up in practice, we have the answers to them.

Where conservative principles have been tried, they have worked."

Ronald Reagan