GOP's Southern dilemma

When the GOP takes severe losses within their ranks, they become more and more beholden to the ideology of Southern conservatives. The South is the only remaining area with solid Republican entrenchment, and losses throughout the rest of the nation increase the proportion of Southern representation in the GOP's congressional caucus. The ideology of these Southern conservatives is increasingly out of sink with mainstream America, creating a potentially perpetuating cycle. To which today David Broder asks:

Will congressional Republicans again sacrifice their political interest to satisfy their Southern-baked ideological imperatives?