Following up - I think the other root of this topic is an issue of semantics and philosophy. Lauren is one of my favorite follows because she's a very rational individual who identifies as a conservative. The attachment of labels and groups drives this conversation, when reality
I respect the honest question. True conservatism has always been a minority position inside the GOP. That's not new. The party has been a messy coalition forever.
But words & ideas have fixed meanings. Trump-aligned populists rebranding or co-opting "conservative" to mean big spending, personal loyalty tests, and whatever the leader wants today doesn't erase the actual principles of limited gov, rule of law, fiscal sanity.
It's not No True Scotsman to defend consistent ideas against linguistic capture. Your church analogy works both ways... Sometimes institutions drift so far you have to call out the corruption instead of redefining the original thing.