I’m thinking conservatism would have been better off if Buchanan was never born.
I can’t even remember if I voted in the primaries that year, I was so ill during that period. I had to drag myself out to vote in November to try to deliver the state to Dole. We got close, but that jackass Pee Rot deprived him of victory. :-(
Even if Buchanan hadn’t been a factor, I don’t think Gramm could’ve beaten Bubba. When Newtie dropped the ball on standing up to Bubba in the government shutdown showdown, that delivered him a 2nd term on a silver platter.