I am not against taking over the Republican party. I will support Cruz, Lee, and any other conservative, intelligent, Republican.
What I will never do is repeat prior mistakes — campaigning for McCain, voting for Romney, encouraging others to do so. Establishment Republicans are such a vile enemy that I would vote democrat before giving them my vote.
As far as 3rd party, I am somewhat ambivalent at the moment. But time is running out, however. Make no mistake — the Republican party is a dead man walking if the establishment is not ousted within a year.
What I will never do is repeat prior mistakes — campaigning for McCain, voting for Romney, encouraging others to do so. Establishment Republicans are such a vile enemy that I would vote democrat before giving them my vote.
As far as 3rd party, I am somewhat ambivalent at the moment. But time is running out, however. Make no mistake — the Republican party is a dead man walking if the establishment is not ousted within a year.
About as likely as Obama admitting that America is indeed a Christian nation. He said it wasn't, you know.
Kansas, I would rather see conservatives take over the Republican party ... but the realist suspects that goal is out of reach. You and I are both on the same page politically -- the difference is that you advise continuing to do what I and so many others here have halted, and more and more are halting. Run a Romney, we refuse to vote for him. We refuse to vote against our own interests. You can squawk and holler "math!!!" all you want, but a Romney win would have been 100 percent hollow. Zero progress, and in fact loss of progress because "Republican" as a brand means ZIP. ZILCH.
What in the HELL are you voting for, Kansas? You know what you're voting against, a mathematical illusion in elections.
Democrats know what they're voting for, what their guys are going to do.
Republicans have no idea what their guys are going to do. "Republican" means "slimy" to more than conservatives who've been betrayed after voting party ticket for the past three-plus decades to see things come to this. We did this by following the path you continue to advise.
Whether or not you or I do or don't want a Third Party is moot. I'd rather the GOP got its act together. That's unlikely and even if it did, it would be doing battle against a legendarily "stupid party" bad image, of the hypocrite, the weasel, the prevaricator, the hypocrite, the squirrely dude, they corruptable weenie.
Democrats have been voting for Obama for the same reason so many limited government conservatives voted for McCain and Romney -- they believe to the depths of their hearts in an emotional gut-wrenching way, that the Republican du jour would be even worse than their own guy.
But Americans overall are sick of both of them. They want a party they can vote for that they know will weed government intervention out of our lives, restore independence and personal choice in everything from doctors and insurance to the curriculum in their kids' schools and out-of-control enviromentalist land grabs. That's what Americans want. The Democrat party is naturally inclined to be "liberal" with taxpayer money and government largesse, that's by definition. But the Republican party? What the hell does it stand for? The reason I've voted for it was to limit government, to pull government away, to slash it and hack it back, to be eternal gardeners for freedom.
Romney betrayed five key conservative issues. He was a functional leftist, 100 percent for almost everything I've voted Republican to oppose. I refused to vote for him, and would do so again. It was the first time in 35 years of voting that I declined a Republican on my ballot. For my mom, it was the first time in 62 years of voting that she had ever declined a Republican. There were millions of Republicans across American like us. Enough that Romney was soundly "defeated," if you believe in voting "against."
Whether or not America gets a 3rd party is beyond our control, but thinking about it, it appears like it might be inevitable. I don't like it any better than you do, Kansas, but too bad. As jj pointed out, "time is running out." Time to move on. I think that if conservatives were aggressive and smart about it, they would take advantage of the inevitable to work toward making it an attractive united 3rd party that could make the Republican party obsolete. Hey, it's a long shot, but there's a better chance there than to think the GOP establishment would leave soon enough for the Republican party to resonate with disgusted and angry Americans.
Only a 3rd party can be a blank slate for Americans to unite, disillusioned Democrats, too, who would no more vote for a Republican than you would vote for a Democrat.