Conversely--and more critically--we mustn't become the unwitting victims of the clintons, the Left and their flim flam.
We must resist splitting our vote, AT ALL COSTS.
We must realize that splitting the Right will be their strategy. As a minority party, they cannot win, (especially if they run someone as repulsive as clinton), without splitting us with either a Perot or an issue that will function like a Perot to keep some voters home.
Yes Teddy Roosevelt did elect Woodrow Wilson.
Robert LaFollette was not a factor in the 1920s either. The Democrats did not win but the republican always got more votes than the Democrats and Progessive party combined.
Strom Thurman could not defeat Harry Truman.
However in 1968 George Wallace may have elected Richard Nixon.
In 1980 John Anderson could not defeat Ronald Reagan.
Perot claims to have defeated Bush Sr. in 1992 and Dole in 1996.
In 2000,Pat Buchanan could not defeat W Bush.
Third party candidates are a mixed bag. Sometimes they work and sometimes they do not.
With rare exceptions third party candidates draw voters that normally do not vote at all. These are the people who do not see a nickels worth of difference between Republicans and Democrats. When they don't have a third party candidate to vote for those that do vote tend to split their votes between the Republican and Democratic candidated. Think about it.. If you genuinely think there is not a dimes worth of difference, how would you vote?.. Flip a coin?
I have to respectfully, but adamantly, disagree with your conclusions.
If the GOP puts up a candidate who is Democrat light, why in the world should I be obligated to vote for that person?
The GOP doesn't own my vote and when they put up lousy candidates and pass lousy and unconstitutional laws, they do not even have my interests in mind.
Do I want the Dems? Hell no. But it is the nice republicans who are making socialism acceptable in this country. Every time the vile and nasty Democrats push too hard and too far, the American people smack them down. Then we get a compassionate conservative who does what the Dems couldn't do. They do it piecemeal and get applauded for it.
No thanks. No more RINOs. They'll kill us faster than the Dems.