"In fairness, Lincoln Chafee does increase the Republican margin in the Senate if nothing else. He's otherwise worthless of course."
The net effect of which is to allow a Republican Senate to do all the things a Democratic Senate would do, and leave Conservatives with no where to go within the existing parties. Chafee chafes me.
"Conservatives" need to understand that they are a minority and as such cannot dictate everything to a political party. In order to win it is necessary to get voters from groups other than conservatives. When the Left can do that it wins when the Right can do that it wins.
While it is commonplace that we want to encourage the most lunatic of the Left in the Party of Treason because they weaken it somehow people claiming to be conservatives cannot see that the same thing is true of the Right. When the fringe controls the Party loses.