There is NO WAY to "control the RINOs". They are doing PRECISELY what their constituents want them to do. They will get elected over and over and over again - or they will be replaced by a socialist Demodog. They'll never be replaced by a "conservative" in the mold of Kyl, or Cornyn, or even someone like Hatch. No "libertarian" will ever dislodge them. The best that can be hoped for in most of the NorthEast races, and several other states, is to elect RINOs who will at least sometimes vote moderately conservative.
You'll never, ever get a 100%er, or even an 80%er. You just might be able to get a candidate elected who votes with you most of the time on welfare reforms, and pro-2ndA - but forget a true down-the-line conservative from these Blue States. If you can get enough of these RINOs replacing the 0% Demodogs, conservative legislation can be passed using shifting coalitions of the RINOs. That is the only hope. That is how any of the progress that has been since Reagan has occurred.
We need more RINOs in the Senate, replacing Blue State Demodog Senators. That, added to a few more conservative credentialed Senators from the Red States who have saddled themselves with incumbent Demodog Senators, will change the makeup of legislation radically. We're close to accomplishing that goal, but not quite there yet...
Please educate me: those "full slates of candidates" in NYState have resulted in exactly how many conservatives elected?
Please educate me how many terms the last Conservative Party Senator served, and how successful his election was when he didn't have the liberal vote split between two NY liberals.
Please further research for me: how many RINOs have been replaced by a 0% Demodog - full blooded liberal as a result of the self destructive desire of "true conservatives"?
Snowe and Collins depress me, but at least they vote with the Republican leadership half the time. [Chaffee doesn't make that mark and should be dropped. McCain should be dropped for other reasons.]
A few points. Al D'Amato represented New York for almost 20 years. Santorum has represented Pennsylvania for 12. Many swing states can and do elect Republicans who could but in some cases don't act as conservatives. eg. Both senators from Maine are RINOs, but they would get reelected even if they were more conservative.
"but forget a true down-the-line conservative from these Blue States."
The exceptions, like Santorum, we should take extra effort to keep!
It is distressingly hard to dislodge some very bad liberal senators from blue states, but the solution is not running weak candidates just because they are mods. Conservatives often run better campaigns that energize based voters because they run sharper campaigns. A candidate that runs a forthright campaign on issues like taxes and spending and national security and family can indeed win even in the northeast. The trick is winning the swing vote without depressing the base.
The WRONG answer is to assume a wimpy moderate position is the answer. It's also the wrong answer to come out as a right-winger that will get pegged in a way to lose the the swing vote.
The RIGHT answer is to run the kind of campaign that Norm Coleman ran, where he both won swing voters and got the cosnrvative base energized. It's not easy but it is doable with the right, energetic candidates... mainstream conservatives can be winning candidates, even in New York.