DustyMoment wrote: "Like I say, it's a waste of time and bandwidth, but I feel obligated to make my voice heard."
I'm going to keep saying it, because it's really that important. Don't give up, because giving up ASSURES our defeat. Frankly, I was incredibly naive to believe we could change Washington in one or two elections. I mean, what were we all thinking? This is a going to be a lifetime battle for conservatives, but it's one worth fighting.
Evaluate the situation carefully and do whatever gives you the greatest chance of getting what you personally think is most important. For example, I really like the Constitution Party, but the pragmatist in me believes they are DOA for several important reasons.
The key is to pick one of the two established parties (the Republican Party is the obvious choice). If 20% of your party members are truly conservative, you might actually still be able to swing a primary in your state. As you know, the turnout for those is typically pretty small. On the other hand, if you take that 20% and form an independent party, you'll only split the Republican Party and get Dems elected.
And, yes, if you end up getting a RINO, just remember the goal is to win as much as you can. The RINO might give you 5% or 10% of what you want, but he's STILL better than a Dem.