This piece makes some reasonable points, but I have to wonder what self-styled reformist conservatives are thinking when they write things like this: “The conservative rump’s reactions to Arlen Specter’s switch have been predictable and disappointing.”
Who is the intended audience for this kind of argument? Who is it attempting to persuade? People who have basically given up on a majority Republicans — that is, the “conservative rump” — are in a poor position to influence them.



