The Republican party had its best showing in 1994, when they drew up a conservative platform based on fiscal responsibility and smaller government. They recruited a bunch of fresh faces, DC outsiders, who actually believed in the promises of the platform, and ran on them.

Over time, they lost their way… DC has that seductive power. Watching billions of dollars flow through their hands was too much for them… they began believing in silly things, like “compassionate conservatism”, and “conservative social welfare programs”. Those things do not exist… government is a knife that only cuts to the left.

To regain power, they need to start over again with new, fresh faces… people from outside government, who will apply conservative principles when elected — at least, for a while. Spend too much time in DC, and even the staunchest conservative will be seduced by the money, the power, the fantasy that government largesse can somehow be “conservative”.

In short, liberalism is served by creating a DC based machine… conservatism only lives outside of Washington, and as such, will need to be renewed from the hinterlands every single generation. There will never be a DC conservative establishment.