Conservative Gains

As I mentioned in this post, I get discouraged sometimes by the fact that conservatives seem to have made some gains, but that most of the conservative principles I believe in are not even fought for anymore. It is interesting to hear Karl Rove discuss these gains in a congratulatory way in front of a conservative group, and yet hear the grumbling in the crowd for the departures from the ideology.
This quote demonstrates why conservatives are at a disadvantage to liberals from the start:

But some conservatives voiced alarm that Mr. Bush appeared to leave an opening for Congress to increase payroll deductions to pay for Social Security reforms. Rep. Paul D. Ryan, Wisconsin Republican, warned that such a move would be seen as a tax increase and, therefore, a departure from the principle of low taxes embraced by Mr. Bush and his party. It could cost Republicans control of the House next year, he said.

Some of the activists yesterday grumbled that several egregious departures from conservatism were missing from the picture Mr. Rove painted of the Republican Party's dominance of Congress and of the Bush presidency. They cited Mr. Bush's guest-worker proposal, which they see as an amnesty for illegal immigrants. Others were critical of the administration's aggressive foreign policy. "This so-called "nation building' by Bush will tear apart the Republican Party before long," said a senior policy analyst, who asked not to be named.

"A departure from principle". "Tear apart the Republican Party". You rarely hear these sorts of comments from Democrats or the left. They have no guiding principles. And if their guy strays off the reservation a bit, they usually take it pretty well. Clinton enacted some conservative initiatives, such as welfare reform and NAFTA, but you didn't see the party disowning him. And when Hillary came out saying abortions are bad, the feminists certainly didn't cast her out. She is their best bet for power, and if she has to moderate a bit to get it, so be it.
Because the left has no overriding philosophical ideology to adhere to, they are free to address each issue in the moment, and take small gains where they can. While the right is prepared to abandon Social Security reform completely if there is a tax increase involved, the left incrementally chips away at gun rights, personal responsibility, and socializing medicine.