The Trump fantasy explained

[DCPatriot]

Yet in what seems like angry frustrated desperation, many conservatives are settling for Trump, as the messenger for their narrow rigid principles.

And that baffles some people, along with his rude behavior.

Donald Trump's total number of supporters DWARF the Conservative portion.   And as you stated...."many" doesn't translate to all.

As for the 'bold' above, that's a lot of crap.

And social conservatives are the ones with the narrow rigid principles.  Some of us just want to be left alone and in peace.

[jmyrlefuller]

One thing the contemporary conservative fails to grasp or have the ability to do is to broaden the appeal of conservative political philosophy.

And just how do we do that? The country wants free sex and free stuff—both philosophies that conservative political philosophy diametrically opposes. How do you get people to not want free sex and free stuff? It's not like, except in rare circumstances like the AIDS crisis, that free sex and free stuff have immediate negative consequences for the average person, and even when there are, the left is surely working to eliminate those consequences.

[massadvj]

I think conservatism as it has evolved in the Burke/Russell Kirk tradition can indeed evolve.  The philodophy is not grounded in absolutes the way classical liberalism is.  Conservatives stand for the preservation of those institutions that have stood the test of time in terms of maintaining our way of life.  Once enough time goes by, conservatives end up supporting liberal programs by virtue of the fact that they have become indispensable institutions.

Thus, conservatives talk of preserving Social Security and Medicare whereas libertarians would prefer to do away with them.  In time, conservatives will want to preserve obamacare for the same reason.