I’ll be sure and always check with you from now on to find out what REAL conservatives should be thinking and doing.
There are those who think a liberal can be made into a conservative by simply repeating that he is over and over and over again. There is dishonesty in their argument and it damages what we believe in if they succeed in historical revisionism and in redefining conservatism itself.
My criticism is not directed at those who argue for their candidate based on honest assessment and presentation of his record, policies, and statements. Even though a candidate falls short as a conservative, conservatives who believe they must make a choice can still argue why they believe their choice is the best we can get based on what we've got. Others may disagree with their assessment, but they are at least presenting their case from a position of reasoned opinion and personal honesty.
Past that, we will inevitably confront the issue of whether or not we should participate in lesser of evils voting and I think we can argue with honesty and honor from both sides of that one, too.
But there is no honor or honesty in revising or redefining a candidate into the conservative he is not in an attempt to make him more palatable to others or to justify a decision to oneself. There are now no clear paths to a positive outcome in this election, but settling into denial is not the answer.