Jim, I appreciate you clarifying the purpose of this site as one of fighting for and defending "conservative" values. As you well know being a GOP'er and being conservative is not necessarily synonymous these days. The gap is unfortunately widening every day by those who vote for GOP candidates regardless of what they stand for, because for them winning at any cost is the only thing that matters.
That (win at any cost) mentality is what is leading to the demise of the GOP party as the party of conservative values. As long as we vote GOP to "win at any cost", then we are not following your second statement, i.e. we are not fighting for conservative principles, values, and causes. We are simply voting for the lesser evil. We are choosing to die by a thousand cuts rather than by a dagger in the chest.
Yes, we should do everything in our power to keep the GOP party as the representative party of "conservative values". That must be our prime directive. However, the reality of it is if we keep electing the CRINO's (Conservative Republicans In Name Only) that are so prevalent in our elected offices today for the sole purpose of denying the sorrier socialist-democrats from winning the office, then we are not voting to fight for keeping conservative principles, values, and causes. We are merely voting to defend against something that is worse than CRINO's. If we continue to allow the GOP party to sink further into the CRINO abyss, then in 20-30 years (if the good Lord lets this nation remain intact and free) the CRINO's of then will make the socialist-democrats of today appear conservative by today's standards. Just look back 40-50 years ago for a prime example of yesterday's democrat versus today's CRINO.
This type of voting (win at any cost) is antithetical to your statement of purpose for this great website. Winning at any cost is unprincipled, and totally lacks the moral value for which we conservatives support. It totally upsets me that yellow dog voters no longer just reside the party of jackasses. If we keep voting for the party (at any cost) and not for the principles, if we do not stand up and DEMAND GOP candidates that support the conservative values and causes, then we will reap what we have sown, and it won't be good.
Sorry for the soapbox. Many thanks for providing such a forum so that we can discuss and debate these ideals and principles. May the good Lord protect and keep you safe and well. - OB1
It's not "win at any cost". It's being realistic and not assuming that you can win every battle. Some battles, you're going to lose. Your mentality seems to be that if we can't win every battle, its best just to give up completely. Lucky you weren't advising Washington at Valley Forge.
It totally upsets me that yellow dog voters no longer just reside the party of jackasses. If we keep voting for the party (at any cost) and not for the principles,
No, we're still voting for our principles. I vote for conservative Republicans every chance I get in the primaries. But if that guy loses, and I get a RINO like DeWine, I'm still going to vote for him because my principle suffers more if some liberal Democrat gets in office. DeWine will do less damage, and maybe a better conservative candidate will get in next time. And when that conservative eventually does get in office, they'll be less liberalism for him to undo.
Plus, with things like Supreme Court justices getting lifetime appointments, sitting out an election in a snit because your preferred conservative didn't make it does no good. Dubya isn't really a conservative, but the positive legacy of his Supreme Court appointments will last for decades, and, if he gets to make one more, may fundamentally reshape the Constitutional landscape. Had Kerry won, he'd likely have solidified a liberal majority on the Supreme Court for years.
if we do not stand up and DEMAND GOP candidates that support the conservative values and causes, then we will reap what we have sown, and it won't be good.
DEMANDing isn't likely to get us anything. Voting and working for a preferred candidate in the primary is the way to go. Not sitting out and letting some Democratic who is committed to destroying my principles get in office instead.