I'd never thought about it that way before, but your remark about Conservatives' beliefs being questioned is insightful. Outsiders calling for Conservatives to be less conservative make me think of Mark Steyn's observation regarding the "ever-narrowing bounds of public discourse": it's impossible to argue for your policies if you let your opponents frame your principles as bad, and from there it's an easy step to concede that some issues should not even be discussed.
I'd never thought about it that way before, but your remark about Conservatives' beliefs being questioned is insightful. Outsiders calling for Conservatives to be less conservative make me think of Mark Steyn's observation regarding the "ever-narrowing bounds of public discourse": it's impossible to argue for your policies if you let your opponents frame your principles as bad, and from there it's an easy step to concede that some issues should not even be discussed.