As Republicans pick up the pieces and begin to repair the damage done to their brand, they might recall the difference between principled politics and dogmatic politics. GOP leaders would be wise to avoid knee-jerk conservatism, where their programmed response is to invariably resist change. They might heed the advice of conservative icon William F. Buckley, Jr., who, in 1974, nailed it in the pages of National Review:

“Conservatives pride themselves on resisting change, which is as it should be. But    intelligent deference to tradition and stability can evolve into intellectual sloth and moral fanaticism, as when conservatives simply decline to look up from dogma because the effort to raise their heads and reconsider is too great.”