Is the GOP Field More Conservative?

James Poulos writes:

David Frum has put forth an arresting theory about what's happening in the race for the Republican nomination. Pence, Huckabee, Trump, and Rubio, he observes, are all out. "Palin too damaged. Bachmann too far-fetched. Ron Paul too sinister. Gingrich experimenting with 'moderation.' Romney’s conservative credentials revoked by the Wall Street Journal and National Review." The lesson?

It’s not just the potential Republican field that is thinning out. It is the once-crowded conservative portion of that field. Of the remaining major candidates, only one – Pawlenty – is positioning himself as a Tea Party style Republican. Romney, Huntsman, and Daniels (if the latter two do decide to run) are positioned as “Main Street Republicans” in the Pew taxonomy: conservative yes, but governance minded rather than protest minded. The winnowing of the conservative field sets up a potentially fascinating test of strength, and raises the question: have conservative pundits fallen victim to their own myth-making?

An important question, to be sure, but the answer isn't what's implied. Rubio, like Christie, is too fresh a face to mount a run (at least this early), and both know it. Pence and Bachmann face the same trouble every person faces who tries to mount a run from the House. But look at the others. Huckabee, Trump, Paul, and, yes, even Palin are all out of serious contention for one and the same reason: they lack adequate support amongconservatives.