day no. 17,372: snatching defeat from the jaws of victory

"While the case itself was heartening, the thing that appears to be really heartening is that Republicans seem to be rejecting their tried and true historical tactic of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory." — Douglas Wilson, Christians, Gerrymandering, and the Legitimate Uses of Political Power

Conservatism has a grand tradition of conserving nothing more than the last liberal victory. It seeks to keep the liberals from advancing any faster or further down the road by keeping them at the same speed and going the same direction as they have been going. In other words, it doesn't conserve much of anything and when it actually has the opportunity to, it usually blushes.

"American conservatism is a party which never conserves anything... it is merely the shadow that follows Radicalism as it moves forward towards perdition. It remains behind it, but never retards it, and always advances near its leader." — R.L. Dabney

Conservatism is either too shy or too coy to win. It either means it, but it too bashful to do it or it doesn't really mean it and that is why it never actually wins. It isn't playing to win against the liberals, it is playing a different game. Its livelihood depends on the existence of liberals. It wouldn't know what to do with itself if it won. It needs something to fight so that it can be re-elected. In other words, it wants to stay in office, not advance its platform.