I am on the progressive side of NOTHING and the title progressive is misleading at best. I am 76 years old, a lifetime Republican, except for the time I voted for Kennedy, son of a Teamster father and union officer mother (machinist) who could see reality at a very early age.
That being said, I am first and foremost a realist...Romney would have been a better president than Obama....McKain better also, George Bush Jr was a president for the times...his entire administration had to be based on the 911 attack. I understand the weaknesses of the Republican party, but I have NO TIME AT ALL for those who sit home and don't vote because their favorite candidate didn't win the nomination.
You could be conservative and vote for Romney or even McCain, if you supported a conservative in the primaries, and were left with the choice of those guys or Obama. I was in that camp. Boy was it hard to vote for those two. But I did. I also knew that there would be millions of the base who could not let their disdain for their party's candidate overcome their fear of the other side's candidate. And so we lost.
In this election, I do not believe you can be conservative and support Kasich in the primaries. Or anyone other than Trump, Cruz or Carson. The rest are shills for the elite, playing a role. Especially Kasich. And Kasich is more of a proven lib than even Jeb. He's governing like Christie. He's a progressive. And you support him. That makes you.....conservative????