This Was Not a Defeat For Conservatism

So says Sen. Tom Coburn in response to the election results:

The failure of the Republican Party in this election does not represent the failure of conservatism, but of the big government Republicanism that took over our party in 1996. Had the Republican Party not governed as the party of socialism-lite for the past 12 years, our candidates’ concerns about the excessive spending on the other side would have had more relevance.

“Republican efforts to build a governing majority through spending and earmarks have ended in disgrace. The Republican Party can either restore its identity as the party of limited government or go the way of the Whigs. When Republicans decide to come home to the timeless conservatism present at our founding, the conservatism of Abraham Lincoln - which our president-elect graciously acknowledged last night - and the conservatism of Ronald Reagan that won the Cold War and led to unprecedented prosperity, they know where to find us.”

Conservatism didn't lose last night because conservatism wasn't on the national ballot. John McCain was no conservative and certainly wasn't promoting conservative principles.

Where conservatism was on the ballot, such as the three anti-gay marriage ballot measures in California, Arizona and Florida, it prevailed. There's a lesson to be learned here.