Conservatives and bigots

Steve Teles makes a good point: Samuel Alito might have joined CAP because it was the only conservative organization concerned with affairs at Princeton, rather than because he specifically endorsed the bigoted views expressed in its publications.

But that analysis assumes that bigotry is simply one shade of conservatism, among many, rather than a distinct viewpoint which true conservatives should run away from (as Bill Frist did in fact run away from CAP at the time). And that, to my mind, is precisely the problem: conservatism has never gone through the process of separating itself from the bigots, as liberalism separated itself from the communists during the Cold War period. Conservative politicians are delighted to receive the support of bigoted voters, the dollars of bigoted contributors, and the endorsements of bigoted TV preachers, and reluctant to do anything to alienate that large chunk of the “base.”