I was like a racist boxing fan in the 1980's. Instead of the next 'great white hope', I was waiting for the next quasi-moderate to become the next party bearer and steer the Republicans in a better direction.
So, all those dudes kind of fit that bill at one time during their careers.
But since the system is corrupted by money/party politics, they all end up sucking the same dicks to stay relevant and morph into whatever the reactionaries want them to be.
You're right, that's much more embarrassing to admit.
You're not wrong, but pre-internet, C-Span was about the only good way to engage in daily political talk. It was the best you had in 1990-1995'ish.