Leaders who manage to pull the mainstream into their ideas of utopia and self-sustenance are often followed blindly. I can think of several examples that have lead millions astray.

You have to look at this historically as an aberration.
How does this happen?
What were they thinking?

>"Perhaps the grand triumph of framing is the Republican Party's ability to portray itself today as the bastion of high morals and heartland American values."

And I'll tell you what....it looked like this tactic worked during the elections. They pandered to THEIR morality...the heartland; winning in on abortion, family and gay marriages.... pandering to something THEY could relate to; because (pardon me here), most of those people who put values like that first, while the economic, environmental, educational, medical, and political problems take a back seat; are totally spineless to change things!
They agree to the lowest common denominator (themselves); because even though they may be living the lie, they don't have the strength to change anything. Beleive a born again Christian to have their best interests at heart. Oh yeah.