That's one of the reasons that the Independent party has grown so large. When we start hearing supposed Republicans telling us we should vote for so and so because he is the supposed unbeatable Republican, even though he is far left of 90 percent of conservative ideals, then its time to start another party.
At this point I honestly do not think the Republican party will ever get back to its roots, just too many people claiming to be Conservatives to get the vote and then turning left after the elections. I could be wrong, in fact I hope I am, but I see a breakup being the only workable idea right now.
Think it through. A third party (any third party) in American politics will never be anything but a spoiler, unless one of the major parties is so decayed that the third party replaces it entirely.
The reason is that American electoral politics is a winner-take-all proposition. You can have three, or nine, or 37 political parties in a parliamentary system like Canada, England, Germany, or Italy, where the spoils are doled out proportionately to electoral support (more or less). But in America, the #1 guy gets the seat, and the #2 is shut out, as is #3, through to #n. In this system, all the various interests opposed to #1 naturally make common cause with #2 if they can, and all the various interests that are somewhat in agreement with #1 make common cause with him.
The system is bipolar, and if disturbed by a third party, seeks its own equilibrium. The 20th Century saw the rise and fall of the Bull Moose Party, Debs's Socialists, a couple of racist segregationist parties, the airy liberal American Independent Party and the man-on-a-horse authoritarian Reform party. The most any of them ever achieved was getting the fellow more opposed to their politics elected.
Therefore, a conservative third party would lead to one or two elections won by liberals, before collapsing in chaos and recrimination.
"Politics is the art of the possible."
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F