As another election cycle rolls around, yet again are far too many commentators failing to understand the composition of the electorate. If you are the nominee for the party on the right side of the spectrum, social conservatives are your bread and butter.  You cannot win without them, and if they are displeased, they will have no reservations about either staying home or voting for the opponent. Social conservatives cannot, in general, be blackmailed by the threats from right-of-center leaders that policies and individuals who are not socially conservative must be accepted in order to avoid defeat.  The social conservatives also value social conservatism more than they do fiscal conservatism, which is why they are not persuaded to sacrifice these principles in order to partner with libertarians and the LGBT bloc. Whatever your feelings on the matter, many social conservatives adopt a "my way or the highway" view of social conservatism.  To them,...(Read Full Post)