You make a wonderful argument for moderate conservatives. And of course you are right the party base is no longer moderate conservatives. It is Dixiecrats by another name.

But even moderate conservatives have their flaws as do some super radical liberals. By definition conservatives are always behind the arch of history, especially now that technology is in warp-drive. It has not been conservatives that led the movement to end slavery and Jim Crow. It was not conservatives who pushed for women’s and gay’s rights.

In fact the main aspect of conservatism has always been to protect outdated vested interests. Perhaps you really are a moderate liberal and just haven’t come to that realization.