FTA: real political success that can come only with persuading the unconverted.

Absolutely spot on!

Further, the messages and tools used to deliver them to Conservatives don´t work for the unconverted. Conservatives speak Latin and the unconverted only understand Mandarin.

Conservatives need to be evangelists of Conservatism and to do that you often have to meet people where they are, no matter how far from that place you normally live. You don´t evangelize in your own church! Those folks should already get it.

#1, Alicia Colon has made the point that in her Puerto Rican neighborhood, the GOP never showed up to meet with, mix among or talk to the Hispanics during the 2012 campaign. Multiply that neighborhood by thousands.

I couldn´t agree more.

Sure, but he answers his own question - - it becomes a racket (and I think it has) because of the very egos of those who claim to be conservatism´s champions. They seem to be a dime a dozen these days, and they´re all just so much talk.

This is so irritating. Does Jonah Goldberg hold the record for converting leftists to the conservative cause? Does Jonah Goldberg know some secret for converting Democrats in to republicans? No? Did not think so. I think the saddest and most pathetic part of all of this is that people are actually stupid enough to think that four more years of whining and complaining about Conservatives is going to help. Thanks for giving the media another club to beat up conservatives Jonah, I for one, really appreciate it. Let me know when Jonah sets the record for converting believers. What a complete CROCK. BTW, Mr. Lewis, Jonah did mention a Huckster by name, a RINO sellout named Mike Huckabee.

The Left and Moderates always yell "it is the Conservatives fault". Until the GOP stops moving Left and comes back to the Right, this Conservative will continue to fight both the Left and the Moderate GOP.

Anyone who believes that the 47-50-something percent of Americans that now want government to take care of them from cradle to grave, can be persuaded, or converted are living in dream world. With today’s media and cultural brainwashing of the ignorant masses, you may as well try persuading a cat to be a frog. It’s the height of naiveté.
If we want to restore and preserve any part of what the country used to be, it will be by secession/revolution and a long hard struggle for re-independence.

I think that Jonah´s talks at colleges were the most effective that I have ever seen from others. His combination of humor and ability to talk to younger people was great. Bet he has touched more confused students than you know.

#2 I remember times when Mitt would venture into a "minority community" or speak to a group of "minority" and the "true" conservatives would ax when is he wasting his time with ´em since he would not get their votes. Why it is axed,go on a liberal talk show when it does no good? Which is it?

First, Lewis (and Goldberg) mistakenly treat the conservative media industry and the putative conservative party and it´s members -- Republican politicians -- as one and the same.

I disagree with the author in that I believe the conservative "comentariat" do yeoman´s work to change minds, including addressing Leftist argument with specificity.

What I don´t see is a political party doing the same in the political sphere. The Republican Party has been catatonic for the last 18 months.

We´re not lacking movement leaders, we´re lacking political leaders. It may well be that the Progressives have created overwhelming disincentives to public service for conservatives.

In short, the problem isn´t that conservatives aren´t communicating their message effectively and attempting to persuade Joe Public. The problem is that no politician is doing that.

Republicans will never be able to out-pander the Democrats, and as long as "reaching out" has to involve a wad of other peoples´ money in your hand to distribute, as it does today, forget it.

While the dems have a great machine ,including the MSM, we were frauded.

Until Jonah figures out that Conservatives and the Republican party are two entirely different animals, he needs to be quiet and stop handing clubs to dems. The NRO is a mostly moderate website who loved McCain and Romney. They are not Conservative.

The biggest problem is the journalists & rino pundits who write live in NY & DC ...not out among the real repubs....they whine & dine together then tell us how act & re-act... one thing they all forget is abccbsnbccnn NY Times WP Time are in love with the won...kinda hard to overcome when nothing negative is reported on the won..

There is far more hate on the Democrat side than anything I have seen from conservatives. People are not going to give up their values just to win elections. There is no upside to that scenario. Conservatives are asked to compromise just so the Republican bigwigs don´t have to be embarrassed by us. Sorry, don´t care. As far as those who make a living writing and speaking as conservatives, those who are throwing stones need to make sure they haven´t also made a living from writing and speaking about their opinions.