[jjsheridan5]

So, in your opinion, would 5 conservative senators switching from R to I be helpful or detrimental to the conservative cause?

If it were just that, it would have no appreciable effect, one way or the other. If, on the other hand, it came as part of a large effort to create a party that stands in opposition to liberalism, then the answer is different. The truth is, we don't know. We know that there is a sizable block of voters out there who currently have no representation, and that they are generally very politically active people. We also know that the support for current Republican party is waning, to say the least. But there are far too many unknowns. A 3rd party would start out fairly ineffective, and we would have to undergo several election cycles in the wilderness, so to speak, before we saw any positive effect (barring a presidential victory). So I have no idea, and nor can anyone else. But what we do know is that continuing on the path we have been going is a complete, utter failure, and that conservatism is already in the wilderness, and will remain there anyway.

Basically, there is no real downside (the country is already slipping away anyway, and conservatives are powerless to stop it), and there is an enormous amount to gain.

[kosciusko51]

A 3rd party would start out fairly ineffective, and we would have to undergo several election cycles in the wilderness, so to speak, before we saw any positive effect (barring a presidential victory).

I don't think the US survives several more elections cycles in the course we are presently headed. A third party is not the answer; a divorce is necessary.