^^ THIS...
he needed a "handler" or media consultant more than a year ago..
I suspect this would have prevented issues even within the (R) party.
He has not only put his foot in it with this, but with conservatives about gun control issues...
In my heart I believe he is intelligent enough, and is a constitutionalist... he could be easily convinced to do the right thing, given the right audience...
but it was nailed with "he's not a politician"... if you have political aspirations as a conservative, PLEASE get a good political consultant and listen to them.
It seems that even idiot liberals don't need to do that, the handlers seek THEM out.. maybe that's what the conservatives need