I have supported and pushed for Conservatives in every primary, and voted in every Republican primary since becoming of voting age.
I voiced my concerns with Dole's electability, but voted for him anyway.
I voiced my concerns with GWB's big government "Compassionate Conservatism" agenda that began to surface in his first term, but voted for his reelection anyway.
I strongly disagreed with McCain's eagerness to "reach across the isle", but held my nose and voted for him in the hope that his win would set us up for a future Palin presidency.
But the 2012 primary has pushed me to act. My first act is to show my displeasure with foisting yet-another-RINO on me will be abstaining from the Presidential vote, while continuing to vote for all Conservatives down-ticket. It is a small gesture compared to what our founders did, but they started with smaller gestures and only ended up at revolution when those failed.
For this course of action, I have been called "stupid", "idiot", "crazy", "Mr. DUmmie" "DNC troll" by the wise, thoughtful, freedom loving people on FR. All today.
Also, all these insightful people can't seem to understand that I can go in, not vote for President, but can vote for everything down-ticket, since I am also "unpatriotic" for "staying home".
For this course of action, I have been called "stupid", "idiot", "crazy", "Mr. DUmmie" "DNC troll" by the wise, thoughtful, freedom loving people on FR. All today.
Me too, over the course of many days, and I've written hundreds of posts since 2008 trying to alert folks to the danger that Romney presents; in 2009-2011, a lot of these folks who are calling you names now were saying, "Ah, Romney is toast, don't worry about him." They were wrong and I was right then, and they are wrong and you and I are right now. But they absolutely refuse to ponder the consequences of a Romney win.
It is taboo. The only thing they will tolerate is Obama phobia and hysteria. They are blindly terrified of Obama's powerful medicine, big ju ju, all powerful Oz-like black magic, and they are scared silly, and too cowed to muster the courage to recognize that Obama would long ago have done what they scream we "couldn't survive!" if he actually had as much ju ju as they claim he does.
They call you these names because they are scared to death, frightened out of their skins, panicked into voting FOR a guy they know is bad, a guy who repels them in every gut level way, who has advanced ALL of the things they've been voting Republican all these years to oppose.
They are only seeing it through the rationale of what they're voting "against."
5th Gen Tex, I'm a 5th Gen Californian from a long line of Republicans, from the time when California was a solidly Republican state. I urge you with all my heart to VOTE in the presidential race and REGISTER your vote in the final tally. I am going to vote third party at the top of the ticket because I know that voting "against" Obama or Romney is impossible because a vote is ultimately and ONLY for something. I will be voting FOR a plurality from a split vote. A president in office where the majority voted against him is vulnerable, ala Clinton with his 43% plurality where fully 57% of Americans declared "Clinton, you STINK!" and where two years later he got bulldozed with the Republican Revolution. I doubt that would have happened if Clinton had gotten a majority or if Bush had been re-elected.
Come 2013, either way we are guaranteed an enemy in the White House -- voting third party is the only way we can weaken that enemy and put him on the defensive. I am praying for a plurality, and voting for it, too.
I really wish folks here would just get over the hysteria and start using their heads.