Do Conservatives still believe in traditional conservative principles or have many become to partisan?

I think you've hit the nail on the head. People, by and large, don't know or remember what the politics of the party are...they know only what the politics of the candidates are. Arguments are about individuals, for the most part, not the ideologies of their party. And that certainly goes for both Liberals and Conservatives. As well, I think that this forum, by and large, displays the worst of both...and is really just a schoolyard for namecalling and attempts at bullying. But you will also see that kind of ignorant behaviour on certain 'news' broadcasts...so there is lots of proof of your claim out there...