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Probably should have phrased it differently. I am not blaming the religious right -- I am from the right and religious but this group on here and elsewhere that wants 100% their way or they are not voting really bug me! Not to mention being called a RINO does not sit well or President Bush being called a RINO. That defies belief.

I am a lifelong Republican, supported Barry Goldwater as a teenage bell ringer, all the way to President Bush. When it comes to voting, I vote for the (R) behind the name, and in the primaries I vote for who I think is closest to my ideas but can also win. I don't always pick the right candidate in the primary but I try to pick the one who I think can win and then I support the Republican candidate in the general. I didn't like Bob Dole but I sure supported him.

Let me give you an example. Here in the OK 4th to replace J.C. we had two longtime Republicans running, both conservative; however, one was Pat Robertson's campaign manager in 1988 against President Bush and the other supported both President Bush's. It didn't take me long to go to volunteer day after day for Tom Cole who supported the Bush's. The other candidate used Lynn Nofsinger as a supporter on his campaign ad and totally ignored either Pres Bush.

Fast forward to the general election, the Pat Robertson Republican refused to be part of the campaign because he lost the primary, was rude, his people for the most part did not work to elect a Republican to replace J.C. -- a lot of them stayed home and didn't vote.

Yet both candidates were conservative but guess Tom wasn't conservative enough for the "purist" as they called themselves because they stayed home and almost cost us the election. Heard more than one that Tom wasn't a "pure" conservative. What does that have to do with being Republican? Since when did the "pure" conservatives start running the Republican Party. I never heard that term until the 2002 election and then it has turned up again on here!

Now you know where I am coming from when I hear "I am not voting because Republicans are just like DemocRATs" or whatever the mantra is today.