The conservative people -- not to be mistaken for so-called "conservative" Republicans -- opposed all of these things.

• Gay marriage was passed by a Democrat-controlled Supreme Court and overrode the laws in many states that banned gay marriage (speaking of being "anti-democratic"). Unfortunately, the so called "conservative" Republicans thought this was a losing electoral issue so they didn't take a strong stand against the ruling. Most Republicans care more about their own elections than anything else, and could care less about conservative principles unless they think it will benefit them in some way.

• The sexual revolution was opposed by conservatives at every turn, but young people think sex is exciting and fun and don't understand long-term consequences, so when they're constantly indoctrinated by the culture to engage in sexual hedonism, there's only so much conservatives can do. Even good parents often temporarily lose their kids to the culture once they enter high-school or college.

The problem is there are very few true conservatives in the Republican Party, and this has pretty much always been the case. Most politicians are unprincipled opportunists, and Republicans are no exception.