Welcome to my blog. I am new at this, so please be patient and not too critical.

I thought this topic would be a great way to start, as I see it as one that is at the very heart of most debate, and debate which is political in nature specifically. As a Conservative (that's big 'C'), I know I am not alone in my discontent with the Republican Party. As a traditional, America loving Constitutionalist, it is very hard for me to feel at home within any established political party.  There are many ideals I share with Libertarians for example, however I find their overall policy advocation to be fanciful, and unrealistic.

I was for many years a registered Republican, but have since enrolled as an Independent. I still vote Republican (and never Democrat) in nearly all cases. Yet I do so, as I'm sure many of you do, as a choice in the 'lesser of two evils'. This not only saddens me, but frustrates me to no end. I have no desire to vote for a 'compassionate conservative'. The very name itself implies that other conservatives lack compassion. This is the exact opposite of the truth, as I see it. True Conservatism is based on reality, pragmatism, historical precedence and is the only political ideology I have found which assesses and accounts for Human Nature.

There are scores of Republicans that hold elected office, who in my opinion are not just lacking conservative ideals, but are promoting policy which is extremely leftist. Nearly every article and blog on this and other conservative websites have scores of comments from traditional conservatives who are appalled at the leftist positions taken by their elected Republican representatives.

The defining of oneself via political party is just as painful for Democrats as well. I know quite a few people from my parents' and grandparents' generation who are lifelong Democrats. As either FDR or JFK Democrats, they line up, politically speaking, with right-wing conservatives nowadays far more than with any Democrat. They haven't changed - their party has. JFK for example, was fiscally conservative. He provided the largest tax cut in history (at the time), as he knew this was common sense way to bolster the American economy. He had a strong policy for National Defense, and had no qualms about standing up to our enemies, nor about labeling them as such.

There is no Democrat nowadays who even remotely lines up with his ideology. Heck I would dare say JFK was quite a bit more conservative in his policies than George W. Bush. I don't think it's even close.

In closing I would like to say that I like many see the need for a third or even fourth major political party in this country. I am very pessimistic about this need ever being fulfilled. Money is far too strongly in control of the political process, and of the MSM. I do think however, that a good start is for each of us to make an effort to define ourselves and each other with more accurate labels than Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green, etc..

As Conservatives, we should not be carrying the water for any Republican. Ideally, every Republican should be jumping at the chance to carry the water for each of us!

God Bless America - RD