I'm the same way - my loyalties lie with conservatism. In fact, if this thread has been posted a year ago, I would probably be one of those on here screaming for a third party and castigating all Republicans at every turn (I didn't actually re-register with the Party, after a several year absence, until Jan. 9 of this year). But I came to a realisation - simply moaning and complaining won't do anything. Organisation is needed, and that organisation is already in existence with the GOP. All we as conservatives need to do is take the GOP back, and it can be done! This is why I'm running for the chairmanship of my precinct in my county, alongside a slate of hand-picked conservative candidates for the other precinct chairs and the executive committee. The plan to retake the party for conservatives, in my county at least, is already in action, and will likely be successful since we're working hard on turnout, and the responses I've been getting in face-to-face door knocking have been very positive. That's what your rank-and-file registered Republicans WANT (even in my liberal county). They WANT conservative REPUBLICANS. Most of them DON'T want conservative third parties splitting and diluting us. A third party will do nothing but fail, and drag us all down with it.
And I think a salient point that needs to be made in the face of all this "Republicans is jes a buncha RINOs" stuff is this: The GOP is hardly altogether lost for conservatism. Remember, Rush himself is a registered Republican. And for all the talk that we hear castigating RINOs like Collins, Snowe, and Specter (and I would add MURKOWSKI to that list), why do we never hear any kudos for Senators like Bunning, Barrasso, Enzi, Wicker, Bennett, Inhofe, DeMint, Ensign, Shelby, Thune, Risch, Roberts, Vitter, Coburn, Crapo, Brownback, and the rest who have all stood solid for conservative principles? Why does everyone complain about weaklings like Boehner, but never given cred to the large majority of House Republicans who stand solidly on conservative principles, every vote? Mike Steele was elected to the Chairmanship because he was sold as a conservative - indicating that conservative leadership was what the majority, in some way or another, were wanting.
Why do we only hear the negative, but never the positive?
You have a lot of excellent points.
As far as “taking back the party”: when you have a system of participatory control with few people participating, each additional person that DOES participate has a helluva lot of leverage.
I have observed this even at our local level. One fiscally responsible voice at a school board meeting goes a long way. Just about everyone else there is a special-interest voice, looking for a “gimmee”.
This is a good, thought provoking discussion and I hate to cut it off but I have to get to work to pay my tax burden! :-)
ONe other quick point: I’m convinced that any “take back the GOP” effort MUST focus first on LOCAL politics. That is the cupboard wherein fiscally irresponsible Chamber of Commerce RINOs breed.