frank applies his thesis to answer the question of why these social conservatives continue to vote for republicans, even though they are voting against their best interests. he argues that politicians and pundits stir the "cons" to action by evoking certain issues, such as abortion, immigration, and taxation. by portraying themselves as champions of the conservatives on these issues, the politicians can get "cons" to vote them into office. however, once in office, these politicians turn their attention to more mundane economic issues, such as business tax reduction or deregulation. frank's thesis goes thus: