I’m a conservative who held his nose and voted for Rubio in November. I can’t stand the guy, but the vote was still a no brainer. You always have to follow the Buckley rule. You don’t help elect another liberal Democrat jerk to the Senate.
I think that’s a mistake. The Gang of Eight Amnesty bill was so bad, that any GOP office holder who voted for it, let alone wrote and sponsored it, should never hold office again. Some crimes are unforgivable.
The problem with your strategy is that it perpetuates the problem. If McCain or Rubio were to lose a general election because of their support for amnesty, that would send a powerful message to the GOP that amnesty is unacceptable to the base. When these guys keep getting reelected, it sends the opposite message, that amnesty and open borders are not a big deal.