Imagine what America's response to 9/11 would have been if there had been just a few hundred more ultra-principled righter-than-though dweebs who sat out the 2000 election.
I shudder to think. God, these people infuriate me.
In less critical times I felt that principle was more important than practicality when it came to my vote too. It really wasn't then either but I understand where these folks are coming from. Thankfully I haven't voted a "principled" vote since '92 when I couldn't stand GHWB and didn't have a clue who BJ Clinton was. I wasted, let me repeat, I WASTED my vote on Ross Perot. But I wasn't a conservative then (and dang sure not a liberal) I was an apolitical ignoramus who loved freedom, liberty and America. But things have changed and so have I.
Principles mean nothing in politics if you have no influence to implement them. If the Dems win conservatives have NO influence.