Yes I am though probably not as much as I could be. The Republican party here in Indiana is pretty conservative and for that I am grateful. I support local candidates financially and with my time, and my wife works the polls for the party. What is frustrating though has been watching the national party become so Dem-lite. I have stopped supporting the national party financially and have told them why both on the phone and by email. I have little belief that they care. I blame those at the top for that. Our President is not a conservative(campaign finance reform, No Child Left Behind & Amnesty are just a few of the issues that come to mind that he has either supported or not fought against) and that attitude filters down I am afraid. His handlers are also not conservatives, but rather big government power brokers who have sold way to many on this site on the idea that big government isn't the problem it is who controls the big government that is important.
I appreciate your thoughtful response, they are rare these days on FR. What was once a site where one could come and expect reasoned discussion on a variety of topics political and otherwise has become a partisan site where those that disagree with the Bush/party line are ridiculed and demeaned. That's too bad.
For what it is worth, it makes this easier if you consider the "source." I live in Washington State where we are working to elect a new Rino to the Senate. (Our noses be held.) To be honest, he is about as conservative as we can put up from this state. What we have to do, is simply provide you guys with the numbers you need to set the agenda and we rely on those of you in less liberal areas to consistently move us rightward. If you get too far ahead of the country as a whole, you will lose those at the tail end. If you go too slowly or aimlessly, you will lose the base.
What we are looking at right now is the natural growing pains of being the party in complete power, but without a solid feel for where America itself stands on things. We have no powerful opposition to blame when things go badly, so it exposes the weaknesses and insecurities in our own party. American's are still a bit hesitant to trust us. That means we must appeal to ALL voters, and sometimes causes us to compromise simply to keep the party together.
I constantly remind myself it is much more difficult to be in charge than it is to gripe about those in charge. As far as the President goes, he is not a surprise. He has behaved exactly as he said he would behave. Both in his first election and his second. He has also very clearly said he sees himself as President of all Americans, not just Conservative Americans. I have actually been stunned at how consistent he has managed to be. He is also a conservative, albeit a practical one and from the sounds of it not one with which you trust or agree. He has also made some very human mistakes and supported things I disagree with. Yet I support him completely, even when I disagree with him.
I also find it helpful to not assume that all conservatives are like me, but that fact does not mean that others are not "true conservatives," just that they interpret conservatism different because of their life experience. I hold some positions that others may find liberal...but the vast majority of what I believe comes committedly under the conservative mantle. It just helps me realize that we have disagreements on our own team and that those discussions help me grow and challenge me to question my own assumptions.
One last thing, I think that the ridicule and demeaning has been pretty evenly spread in both directions and none of us can or should claim victim hood. I have been called plenty of names...in fact in this very thread those of us voting R were called apostate. But in the world of politics, demeaning/ridiculing is all part of the "convince them I'm right" game. It's not gentle, it's not kind...it's full contact, pounding, no rules gamesmanship. If you can depersonalize it, it makes for great world-view muscle building and skin-thickening.
Because as we all know...what does not kill us, you know, makes us stronger. ;-)