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I doubt any Conservatives have left Free Republic but a lot of RINOs and libs have.

I have a problem with the whole thread that uses the nomenclature RINO. What gives conservatives either the right or the idea that they get to define what the Republican party is?

I'll absolutely agree that what conservatives (or even better Constitutionalists) believe is what the Republican party *should* be, but it is what it is. If the nominating process gives us a McCain or a Romney, or big-government candidates like both of the Bushes, then who is the RINO? The established party members who get their way cycle after cycle, or the true conservatives who abandon the Republican party when they (once again) nominate someone for whom the Constitution is a distraction, not a core value?

Instead, call them CINOs - Conservatives in name only. The Republican party is not by any means conservative, let alone Constitutionalist.

And yet . . .

The real question we must ask ourselves is whether it would be better to have Romney in the White House, or Obama. That's the choice. It's not Romney or a true conservative. The party apparatus has spoken, and once again a true conservative will not be a viable option - meaning, someone who has a real chance of winning because they are one of the major party candidates (not because of their philosophy). It's Romney or Obama. If you say, "Not Romney" then you're saying, "Yes, Obama." For all his warts, the question is not: Is Romney perfect? The question is: Is Obama worse?

I believe a true Constitutionalist - who can demonstrate that they are - *can* be elected. But it won't be until the Republican party is rebuilt. Because right now, the Republican party is CINO.