That is, this gentleman and others like him might be caught off-guard by the facts with which you present them, but when it comes time to vote the bums out they could very well tell themselves, "Well, sure, the last mayor and most of the council were Republicans, but they must not have been REAL Republicans 'cuz they were worthless... so I'll vote in these new Republicans that are running and everything will be just fine."
And when those new Republicans turn out to be just as bad as the old Republicans, these conservative voters will tell themselves once more, "Well, dang, they weren't real conservative Republicans either! We need some REAL conservatives in the city government!" And they'll march back to the voting booth convinced that the new new Republican candidates will do a better job (or believing that any old new Republicans seeking re-election are sincere and reformed).
And they'll be wrong again, and they won't know why.
I hope your old acquaintance realizes that Republican grandstanding and economic theory and class warfare is all bullshit, rather than just concluding that the current crop of conservative pols on the council are simply "not conservative enough."
Keep beatin' the drum, and good luck with your elections! 
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