What percent of what I want should I “settle” for? I’ll put up some numbers by way of example.
Hillary 0
Giuliani 10 (fought tax cuts, anti-life, gay rights, anti-2nd...)
McCain 30 (but he is plain crazy.)
Romney 30 (I don’t believe he has changed his positions from when he campaigned in MA.)
Huckabee 35 (pro-tax, pro-illegal immmigration, nanny stater)
Thompson 90 (CFR - he apologized for being wrong about it. Impeachment - he voted for/against based upon the legal definitions and the evidence, not on the article that most agreed had the best chance of convicting.)
Hunter 90 (I just cannot give him 100 until he shows more appeal.)
Why should I vote for the under 50% candidates and weaken the party?
“Why should I vote for the under 50% candidates and weaken the party?”
I think your percentages are entirely arbitrary based on your own candidate preferences, so the question really isn’t deserving of an answer. I don’t deal in straw men. It’s a logical fallacy.
I will leave it at this to say that with most all of the GOP candidates, Ron Paul excepted, you are getting good conservatives on most of the issues even if they’ve strayed on a few, especially on the all important issue of national security. The problem is, you think if you’re not getting 100% of what you want you’re getting next to nothing. Look at the REAL records of our candidates, not just what some blogger or radio host tells you to think about them in the service of their candidate of preference, (all the while violating Reagan’s 11th commandment in attacking other Republicans—while hypocritically decrying our lack of a Reagan in the race.) I think you’ll find right down the line our candidates have conservative credentials on many of the issues, if not most, to recommend them. And even if as you claim you have to take 10%, which I don’t believe for a second is the case with even the most liberal of our candidates it’s still better than getting 100% of what you don’t want from complete Democratic control of the government and the courts. Think about it.