Not fair. Not even close. Character is important. And Sarah would show very poor character if she dropped the man who started her political career at the first sign of discontent from ‘purists.’
Since you chose to characterize me, I shall return the favor. If the candidate you support because he/she espouses your own particular viewpoints has no character, he/she cannot be trusted and will cave on issues when it is to their advantage.
If you’d been around during the Reagan years, you might well be the sort of person who would have abandoned him because of the few times he did things you didn’t like.
You're half-right. I would have "abandoned" him on the ISSUE where he strayed from conservative principle. And I would have let him know about it too!
Why do I say that? Re: Sarah Palin. I've participated on several threads regarding her McCain endorsement. That's putting it mildly. There's no doubt in my mind that Sarah Palin reads Free Republic. As a "principle" purist, I'm doing what I think is best to advance the conservative agenda. And what is that? Let Sarah Palin know -- through this forum -- that her endorsement of McCain is a BETRAYAL OF CONSERVATIVE PRINCIPLE!
Now is she a loyal person to do something this perfidious? Sure. She's loyal to John McCain. A cult-of-personality purist wouldn't fault Sarah for this.
A philosophical purist would.
Can the twain be met? I think it can. But are you willing to recognize Palin's problematic endorsement of McCain, and take her to task for it. Sarah needs to hear from people like you. What will you say to her?