But it's what we have. We do not have a parliamentary system with 4 or 6 parties ... one of which might be just your cup of tea ... to coalesce and break up and usher in Prime Ministers and usher them out with the " No confidence" vote. We do not have proportional representation. In Europe, if a political party gets 5% opf the vote, they just might get a member of parliament ...selected by the party!
We have "winner take all." If you "vote for the best candidate regardless of party" two things can happen: he'll win and so will his party or non-party, appointing a whole bunch of people you might not really like to those positions over you that really run your life ... which elected officials do not do. Or that candidate will lose. But not before taking away a vote that would have put the better man in (See GHWB's tragic screw-up in the election of '92, completely at the hands of Ross Perot, who is the man who really selected Bill Clinton.)
You have recognized that the Republican Party is dieing. It ain't pretty. It smells bad. What we have to figure out is how we can transition to a constitutional party without handing the keys to the kingdom to the Democrats for the next quarter-century .... by which time it is eminently possible there won't be a kingdom.
I'm thinking four more years of Obama would be the 'tipping point'. I'm not going to throw away my vote and let that happen. I may not like Romney, but I detest the Democrat Party.