Yep, you've got it. It's a matter of principle. If conservatives don't have any principles, we can be manipulated by a party that wants to put socialists like Dole in office. If we don't vote for their candidates, they have to start giving us candidates we'll vote for. Encourage them to run liberals for office and they'll run liberals for office.
In case you haven't noticed, republicans can do as much damage as democrats can. It makes no sense at all to vote for Dole when you wanted a conservative. Vote for what you want, even if there's a chance you won't get it. That makes much more sense than voting for what you don't want, knowing you're definitely going to get what you don't want.
I'm amazed that anyone has to have this spelled out for them.
What amazes me are those conservatives who believe that Bill Clinton would be better for the country than Bob Dole, especially after having suffered through eight years of slime and corruption, not to mention the huge losses in national security, etc. Now you're ready to sit on your hands and turn it over to Gore or Hillary? Some principles I do not understand.
If we don't vote for their candidates, they have to start giving us candidates we'll vote for.I don't know...those of us on FR are far more conservative than average voters. In the last presidential primary, the "constitutional" candidates got 5% of the vote? The majority of Americans are most concerned about the FedGov helping them with health care, education, and retirement.
Before you can get most, or even a majority, of Americans to vote for a true conservative candidate, I think there's going to have to be a significant voter education component, so that people know what our government is supposed to be, and why all the government "goodies" aren't right.
The other thing is, if we "take our ball and go home", we're not in the game any more, so we aren't influencing it at all.
...It makes no sense at all to vote for Dole when you wanted a conservative. Vote for what you want, even if there's a chance you won't get it.
That makes sense in the primaries, but in the general election, if what you really want isn't on the ballot, what are you gonna do? IMO, better to vote for the one who is farthest right, (even if that isn't very far right) in hopes of influencing bigger things, like judicial appointments and the Supreme Court. It's either that, or have no say at all.