I don't have much faith in electoral politics at the national level either. I've been telling people who want to have such faith that they need a different attitude.

Conservatives keep looking for a hero. Instead, they need to have a more adversarial attitude. Instead of getting high on copium and hopium all the time, they need to be ready to bully "their own" politicians, to turn on them when let down and especially outright betrayed. Treat them like you will have to drag them, kicking and screaming, into doing the right thing because that's the only chance you have that they will.