I agree. I’ll take a local “R” over a local “D” almost every time, unless there’s a helluva reason not to.
On the national level, it’s different. I think it’s different enough that a guy who shines at the state level isn’t allowed to rise in Washington DC unless he “plays ball”.
Unless that changes, eventually the RNC is going to infect the state Republican parties, not the other way around. It’s got to be stopped by an outsider, not someone going up the GOP ladder, unless they renounce the RNC and the money that the Citizens United decision has made available from big bucks donors.
Pretty sad, but that’s how I see it. That’s why I support Trump, even though I don’t think he’s a “real conservative”.
I like your red line.