[edpc]

True, but if the candidate basically adopts a liberal philosophy there won’t be change anyway.

[chimera]

Kasich has a fairly conservative background (not 100%, I know) and if he were elected I think we'd have maybe 70-80% common ground, and we could work to convince him on the rest. If Hillary gets in we can expect 100% opposition 100% of the time, offering no compromise, taking no prisoners, and destroying you at every opportunity. Some prefer that (i.e., the "at least we know who the enemy is" philosophy) but I don't see us gaining yardage playing that game.

And, no, I'm not talking about compromising principles. We hold to our principles and work to convince the officeholder who agrees with us on 3 out of 4 issues to change his/her mind on the remaining ones. It may or may not work, but at least we're in the game, which we otherwise would not be. On balance, that seems to be a more productive and positive approach than taking our ball and going home.