[Cold Heat]

2) Do they closely match my personal preferences as far as ideology is concerned.

There is a fundamental difference between presidential and Senatorial elections, and local representation.

Your #2 priority is better suited to local elections as that is where you get direct representation of your personal views.

Unfortunately for many in the Conservative base, they have intermixed personal views with conservative principles, in many instances.

Presidents and to a lesser degree Senators, represent big picture ideals and don't deal with the more local personal issues on a daily basis. As such they represent a much larger portion of the public basket, and they must not run afoul of their much larger constituencies.

If you look closely at the last election, some clues are found in the losses.

In the East, social conservative issues all lost. In the West, Immigration lost. In the Midwest, stem cells and immigration lost.

We need to avoid those issues for the coming National campaign to avoid the same fate.

That is political pragmatism. I don't know how you get around this. You must face it and deal with it and vector your candidate along his strengths and avoid weaknesses..

As divided as this country is, and with Conservative ideology suckling on the hind teat, we need to do the things necessary to win, and not dwell on issues that can derail the goal.

That's how I see it, and that's how we should all see it. But that is not what is happening at the present time, and may not happen, which will most certainly result in a 100% Democrat controlled government, once again.

[Pox]

Your #2 priority is better suited to local elections as that is where you get direct representation of your personal views.

Nonsense. If the POTUS selects liberal judges to the Supreme Court, that affects me directly and personally.

I have my principles and will stick with them, win or lose. Otherwise, my principles are worthless. Pragmatism isn't worth two cents without my personal liberties as guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, and I will never vote for a candidate whose record shows blatant disdain for the most important of those rights, which is the second amendment, IMO.

I see no point in voting for the male version of HRC. I don't care what he says, I made up my mind by observing his track record, and that record is a red flag that tells me "NO WAY". This is why I am pushing for a solid conservative with a very good chance of winning the election to be nominated to the Republican ticket. Alienating the base on the right that delivers in the 'get out the vote' effort is a recipe for disaster for the Republican party, IMO. As close as the 04 election was I would think that it would be obvious to anyone here on FR.

As I've already been told by one poster on this forum, my vote doesn't matter this time, the juggernaut that is RINO Rudy simply doesn't need me or my vote. Wonderful attitude I'm seeing here as of late.