“The Republican Party needs to stick to Conservative principles and Conservative candidates.”
Therein lies the rub. It does not, has not and will not. Ever. It cannot.
If the country moves to the right, the South will continue to give us a fair number of conservatives (think Rand Paul or Jim Demint). As the country moves right, however, the North will also give us Republicans, reflecting the shift in national sentiment. The North will simply give us even more “moderate” Republicans (flaming leftist morons like Snowe, Collins, Jeffords, etc.).
On balance, the Republican Party will lurch leftward even as the country becomes more conservative and moves to the right. It is a lose-lose situation.
The Republican Pary can NEVER move to the right if it expands its base because the expanded base, be it from cities, regions, demographics, whatever, will cause the Party to move left because of the candidates,reflecting the values of those voters, provide. If the Republican Party becomes a true conservative party, it cannot expand its base and grow its influence on national policy matters.
Am I for “liberalising” the Republican Party? No. I think it should become much more closely aligned with the Libertarians and expand its base that way while remaining true to conservatve principles (on economic and Constitutional matters), but that is just me. That, of course, would alienate the morals voters so we are back to square one.
In the future, I refuse to vote for a liberal Republican, no matter what (after Reagan I was forced to vote for Bush, Dole, Bush, Bush, McCain and Romney). To what end? Lousy candidates that were not conservative. I kept picking the lesser of two evils and even had they won (the losers, anyway), they wouldn’t have been conservative.
I am done with my Republican Party affiliation and being forced to choose between the lesser of two evils. I will vote for the most conservative candidate, even if it is a third party nobody. The country has now reached the point that it doesn’t matter whom I vote for. I may as well vote out of principle from now on.
Sounds great.....how's it working out in the gubernatorial races in California, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Connecticut, Minnesota, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Etc.?