[gtsamson]

It is just too difficult for a third party to ever get traction. We have to work within the GOP if we are ever to see real change.

[PzLdr]

Working within the GOP will change nothing. The Country Club Republicans [who ONLY care about taxes, if that], have never been comfortable with conservatives, and have never believed we should be running, or influencing, ‘their’ party. We were/are tolerated only for our votes, not our beliefs, which they don't share.

These ‘Brahmans’ knifed Goldwater, tried to knife Reagan, and defect to the Dims every chance they get. When they run a candidate they like, we are expected to work our buns off, kowtow and get in line. When their candidate loses, they blame us, and call for a further shift to the left. When the candidate is one of ours, they, at best, hardly break a sweat in working for him. At worst, they sabotage the candidate. Then they call for a shift to the left.

So jettison them. They're going to vote with us [maybe] on taxes. That's not worth the aggita of working with, and sharing a party with them. Our principles are not THEIR principles. And, for the conservative non Pubbies out there, they confuse our message, our programs and our identities. I have more in common with a Blue Dog Democrat than I do with Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, John Warner, Lindsay Graham, Christie Todd Whitman, Rudy Giuliani and John McCain. Try getting those folks into the tent, and dump the dead weight.

[Karama]

Then we need to put our heads together and get a plan going. That was the whole point of me posting this. I want us to make plans.