The only way that we will win, or even deserve to win, is if -- regardless of whether we describe ourselves as conservative, moderate, libertarian, or other -- we throw off the vestiges of ideological disease and deal with the world as it is, and it's problems as they are; not the world as we imagine it to be, and it's problems merely the fantasies of our opponents.
Pretty much. The main problem with the GOP and much of the modern Right IMO isn't just their solutions to problems. It's that they largely ignore that problems
exist in the first place. That and they think their views on a lot of issues (especially taxes and healthcare) are more mainstream or popular than they actually are. Admittedly they were able to frame the debate for a long time but now they've pretty much exhausted their credibility. Unless they adopt a new playbook the Republicans are going to wind up being marginalized outside of the deep South and inter-mountain West for a long time.
