"I'm not a Republican. That bunch of RINOs left me a few years back. I'm a re-registerd Independent Conservative."
Let me know when the Independent Conservative(s) elect anybody.
Two facts:
1. The overwhelming majority of state/national elections will be won by either the democrat or the republican. Not by any flavor of independent.
2. The republican will usually be preferable to the democrat.
Oh, I'll still be voting GOP, but selectively instead of straight ticket, from now on.
I re-registered 'Independent' so as to get off the GOP-RINO fund-raising lists, where I'd traditionally given $1,000 to the RNC each year. Now, they've stopped calling. In their fund-raising letter replies, I always send one of these with the pledge card:
http://www.sacredcowburgers.com/fresh/showpics.cgi?heres_my_donation
or
http://www.strangepolitics.com/content/item/110960.html