No, no, make no mistake about it. Eric Cantor was plenty conservative enough. He just wasn't sufficiently radical. Not extreme enough. He had poorly-developed anarchy skills. You might find this hard to believe, but he still trusted in the notion of government.
For a party that was already groping for a direction, this primary loss by a sitting majority leader is, if not devastating, at least further de-stabilizing. And this new development is even more thought-provoking when you consider the recent moves toward the political left in recent public statements made by some conservatives. Finding a direction in this new atmosphere is going to take some ingenuity.
Recently, congressional candidate Evan Jenkins made public overtures toward ensuring broader health care for citizens, seemingly in support for what has been a Democratic strong point and a difficulty for the GOP, with its mantras for smaller government and free-market control over health care.
The shift to the left in sentiment on health care has been noticeable in other key Republican campaign statements, as well. Michigan Republican candidate Terri Lynn Land, Indiana's Republican governor Mike Pence, and no less than Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell have all spoken up for increasingly accessible and affordable health care. These conservatives have apparently seen which way the wind is blowing, and want to catch some of it in their sails for the upcoming election.
But that leaves us wondering what this new, far more extreme jolt to the right is going to do to conservative plans to define a party direction. Interestingly, the Tea Party-backed candidate who defeated Cantor, Dave Brat, quickly claimed adherence to free-market motivations, among other long-standing conservative principles. His Tea party support is unquestionable, and his victory this week will no doubt embolden the seemingly floundering Tea Party to solidify and close ranks.
Where is conservatism headed? Who will lead and who will follow? Will an increase in Tea Party influence on the GOP set the stage for sweeping Democratic victories in November's midterms? There are far more questions than answers after this week's primary in Virginia.