The conservatives are correct when they say that the U.S. is a conservative country. When they claim that we are a conservative, people, however, they are wrong. In fact, this disconnect really forms the essence of their "Culture War".
How democratic is it to allow the western Red States to have far more clout in Congress than does, for instance, California? Leave out the west coast, head east, and you end up some place close to the Mississippi River to hit an aggregate body of voters equal to that residing in the area represented in the Senate only by Boxer and Feinstein. And what percentage of them live in rural places basically served by only a single radio station that runs 75% to 90% of its air time showcasing the twisted thinking of right wing talk radio?
This whole "federalism" focus is not just a quirk of the right, but actually their only hope for hanging on to any vestige of political legitimacy. Would the Founders really be proud to have their masterpiece described as something that was insufficient to allow their creation to develop its potential for greatness? When asked on a program by program basis, people mostly want the government we have, while the disconnect between wanting it and not wanting to pay for it comes from that right wing drum beat.
But even having gained their clout at the national level basically through intellectual dishonesty is not enough for the baggers and baggerettes. Now they are heard more and more to be saying that the majority must recognize the unconstitutionality of our most socially relevant programs, or else. And the "or else" certainly does not consist of resorting to majority rule.