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Let me give you an example that I think is pertinent.

GWB was not the preferred candidate for many of us. However, he got the nom. He did some good stuff and he did some bad stuff. But when he took positions we opposed, such as Harriet Meyers and immigration reform, the grassroots were able to derail those but only because we had a PLACE AT THE TABLE and he and the GOP listened. We exercised our influence and were able to defeat those positions.

Do you think conservatives have a place at the table with Obama and the dim majority? The TP’s just had a several hundred thousand person march in DC but health care reform has passed the House and Senate. Immigration reform and cap and trade are next on the agenda.

Picking up the torches and pitch forks and hitting people over the head without trying to understand WHY a Collins or Snowe get elected and re-elected in their districts is putting the cart before the horse.

Being a bull in a china shop is poor strategy for navigating the complex waters of politics. Shouting “NO MORE RINO’s” is fine, but one needs to understand why the RINO is there in the first place before one can develop a coherent and ultimately successful plan for changing the status qou.

But when he took positions we opposed

If he hadn't been a RINO, we wouldn't have had to oppose his positions, whether it was Harriet Meyers, immigration reform, No Child Left Behind (which he and the RINOs in Congress along with head cheerleader Teddy Kennedy got pushed through), the PATRIOT Act which many of us felt would lead to more government and more power within the government, and so on.

The point is don't put Republicans in office that we have to fight, because the battles we lose against them will be just as bad as the battles we lose against the Dems.

Shouting “NO MORE RINO’s” is fine, but one needs to understand why the RINO is there in the first place before one can develop a coherent and ultimately successful plan for changing the status qou.

A lot of RINOs are in office these days because they are incumbents and because people are conditioned to support the incumbents no matter what. The incumbents will use the threat of "if you unseat me, the Democrats will have an easy go of it" and will hold it over your head. Fear is what keeps them in office.

The incumbents don't mention that they have the chance to build up their war chests and that is how they win - money.

Money is what drives a lot of incumbents and what keeps them winning. As soon as they enter office, the first job many of them undertake is winning the next election, which means going after more money.

We're not going to get any kind of term limitations and we aren't going to get any kind of meaningful campaign finance reform that removes the influence of the lobbyists, big money donors, etc., so the only thing we have is our vote.