Stop the virtual presses! George F. Will writes two sentences I agree with:
In this winter of their discontents, nostalgia for Ronald Reagan has become for many conservatives a substitute for thinking. This mental paralysis -- gratitude decaying into idolatry -- is sterile: Neither the man nor his moment will recur.
Of course, the good vibes can't last forever. Will goes on to reject Reagan's "sunny optimism" on the topic of human nature in favor of a more Calvinist approach that sees human nature as inherently suspect and in need of all manner of governmental checks against sloth and immorality. This argument has its limits: whether it's a conservatism of willful blindness to human suffering or a conservatism of for-your-own-good charachter police, neither approach is appealing to many people who find both views condescending and simplistic. Still, Will manages to get it half right.
Ironic that your summary of conservatism is both condescending and simplistic.
My summary of the two condescending and simplestic modes Will divides conservatism into is indeed condescending and simplistic.