There’s an interesting editorial (and discussion in comments) at the same Houston Chronicle site that’s hosting the Cornyn piece:

Conservatism is Sliding Off the Roof

“….Faced with a dizzying pace of social and technological change the conservative movement has been gripped by a seizure of paranoia. Conservatism is not merely the eternal yin to our political yang. It had a discrete beginning as an intellectual alternative to the values of the French Revolution and it could very well have an end in an age of near-perpetual social disruption if we fail to adapt.
…..
As we face a new year and a new era, conservatives should consider a few resolutions. These are some values we should rediscover:…”