When modern conservatism became aware of itself, conservatives were so far out of power it wasn't even worth thinking about policy prescriptions.
Social reform is the missing ingredient of modern conservatism.
And yet modern conservatism has outlived every expectation of its demise.
Yet historians have all but ignored modern American conservatism.
Burke is regarded by most political experts in the English-speaking world as the father of modern English conservatism.
"A modern, compassionate conservatism is right for our times," he declared.
He has been shunned by many conservatives, who often accuse him of being out of step with modern conservatism and too far to the left.
This is a cancer on modern conservatism, and most every conservative in his or her heart knows it.
As such it is an amalgam of classical liberalism and modern conservatism.
You will hear a lot at this gathering about "modern, compassionate conservatism", more than at any time since 2006.