In primary votes the candidate moves to the center of his party. That is where he has to be to win. Then, if he wins, he moves to the center of the general electorate. A smart candidate proceeds cautiously as pandering promises he makes in the primary may hurt him in the general election.
Bill Clinton was a great politician. That is, he was great at the craft of politics. He moved right because the country moved slightly right. The country reacted against some of the natural and obvious consequences for liberal policies of the 80s and before.
The country has become more socialist/communist. A huge component of this is thought crimes and identity politics. Of course there are people who disagree. But the country as a whole continues its march leftward. The old conservatives wanted to get rid of the Department of Education. Bush II fully entrenched this department. Now almost no conservative has any thought to getting rid of it.
Being a conservative is ultimately a losing position. The state is always moving in some direction. To simply want to stay put never works. Most of the conservatives of today hold all the liberal positions of twenty or thirty years ago.
