I’m seeing this argument all over, on the web and even talk radio: We lost because our candidate wasn’t conservative enough. A real conservative would have won. The American people want a Reagan. This is dead wrong. And I can prove it.

We have to get this right. We MUST. We have to know why we actually lost if we are to turn this around.

For the record: I DO NOT PREFER MODERATES! I am a right-wing Christian conservative down the line.

Here is the basic argument: The press likes moderate republicans because moderates can’t win the general election. The press picked McCain because he was the most moderate and therefore would lose. McCain lost because the voters did not get excited about his message, it wasn’t conservative enough. So, since there wasn’t a real conservative, they picked a very liberal candidate instead. Say what???

They say that most powerful lie has lots of truth in it. Yes the press wanted a moderate republican, only because there was no liberal republican. The press wants moderates because they hate conservatives. And maybe they do think a moderate will lose, but in truth, if he wins he’s not AS BAD as a conservative (to the press). So far this is true.

But why would a moderate lose the election? Here’s where the theory goes wrong. Here is where we conservatives are getting this ALL WRONG.

Do republicans risk losing elections by nominating moderates? Yes. But get this right. Moderates lose the BASE, not the wide middle. For obvious reasons, including ground organization, and sheer numbers in a close election, candidates cannot win without their base. This is the ONLY reason moderates lose. They risk losing the base; no money, no work, no turnout.

McCain did not lose the base. Palin rescued the base for McCain. The American people DO NOT automatically reject moderates, and love strong conservatives. They elected Clinton; they elected Bush 41; for goodness sake they just elected Obama!! Think about it!

If you think a “real” conservative would have won, look down the ticket! There were plenty of REAL conservatives running for congress, governors, state houses, on and on. In my town, we had several very strong conservatives run and lose, in one case, to a very liberal incumbent who has been mired in corruption! All over America, with a few notable exceptions, conservatives lost.

But why is that, if as we say (and I believe) most people are mostly center right? Seriously, is it because the people are saying, “If I have to vote for a moderate instead of a strong conservative, I’ll vote liberal instead”? Ridiculous!

We lost because the MSM is still VERY powerful. It is the fourth branch. It is extremely and openly biased. It is the reason our President is unpopular, the reason Democrats escaped blame for the meltdown, the reason Obama got glowing coverage, and the reason McCain Palin got relentlessly torn down.

The press is the reason we lost.