My way or the highway? Perhaps.

Gimme some time to think on it and study up on the dreck which remains.

Me? I thought that Fred was a moderate.

Let’s get over it.

Rick is in a funk and may not vote. Your choice, sir. But, a null vote aids Hillary. Is that what you want?

Do conservatives really want Hillary in with the prospects of 4 years of misery? What if a white knight - a new Reagan - doesn’t come about to save the day ala Jimmy Carter?

There’s nothing wrong with casting a vote for a Republican when it is in fact a vote against the Democrats. Chill the emotions. I made the mistake of voting for Carter because I was pissed of at Ford for the Nixon pardon and voted for Perot because I was distraught over both Bush41 and Clinton. Well, I got Jimmy and Bill and look where that got us.

This whole voting for Republicans because they’re a sight better than Dems is what’s getting us into trouble in the first place. I’m frankly sick and tired of having to pick the “lesser of two evils”. Nothing changes if the status quo is maintained. We continue to grow further from our core principles, and conservatism gets redefined by non-conservatives. How on earth is that helping our cause?

Why should I have to hold my nose and vote for who’s left - when I have HUGE reservations about each of the five remaining candidates?

Putting more bad Republicans in the White House is no different than 4 years of a Democrat. You’re going to get some socialistic/populistic form of government - so what choice do we really have?

I won’t support Huckabee, Giuliani or McCain. Huckabee’s whole “My Christianity is better than your Christianity” eliminated him immediately - along with his appearance at John Hagee’s church. Giuliani is pro-choice and anti-2nd Amendment. Promises and pinky swears won’t do it for me. McCain’s “I get it - build the fence” while still holding on to McCain-Kennedy is nothing more than a big middle finger to Americans who want secure borders. That leaves me with Romney and Ron Paul. However, I’m unwilling to pick up pom poms for either one of these guys.

While the Fred Heads for Mitt is a sweet gesture - it’s not swaying me to his side. I see many of his moves and changes as nothing more than politically expedient. I could support a Romney/Thompson ticket. But Thompson in the VP slot is the only way to make it palatable to me.

Mr. Moran alluded to the main reason why I’m hesitant in supporting Ron Paul. His supporters are seen as odd ducks, and 9/11 truth loons. You’re known by the company you keep - so no thanks. I know there are sane/rational people who support Congressman Paul, but they seem to be in the minority. Or just don’t get as much media coverage.

That’s the opinion of a FredHead in Ohio. I envy those who had the opportunity to vote for Senator Thompson in caucuses or primaries - at this point I’m not sure if he’ll even be on our ballot.

Look. You need to realize that there is more at stake here than just the presidency. There are tons of important House and Senate races that will probably determine who has control of those chambers the next two years (well at least the House) and a brokered convention is the worst possible scenario.

Operatives need to be re-employed and activists need to hit the ground running. Campaign messages need to be crafted and implemented as soon as the Democratic nominee is known. Fundraising needs to begin in earnest. None of this happens until fall if someone doesn’t take the nomination by the throat early this spring. You might not be handing the election to the Democrats, but you will kill any chance of getting the House back this year by draining important resources into the Presidential race.

The makeup of the House is crucial, because Dems are at record low approval and this is the GOP’s last best chance to take it back before redistricting in 2011. The 2010 offseason election is not as high profile, and there will be no Presidential candidate to help out down the ticket. The time to move on the HofR is now, before Dems redistrict the GOP into impotence after 2010. And it is a ripe situation, right now, for Romney.

Look, I loved Fred’s candidacy, and Romney was a distant second choice, but if we head into summer with people focused mainly on the economy, no GOP candidate makes as credible a case as he can. If he can tie all three legs of the conservative stool with a little realistic immigration reform and a dash of earmark elimination into a “contract with America” style campaign that down-ticket candidates can sign onto, the Dems in the HofR are ripe for the plucking.

If there is another dramatic terror attack, the same could apply to McCain or Giuliani.

This President is going to need some sort of mandate to begin his term–something no President has had since Reagan in 1980. (Bill Clinton won only a plurality thanks to Perot, Bush I was extending Reagan’s legacy, and Bush II had the whole “Florida thing” working against him in 2000.)

Taking back the House would be a very important morale builder for the GOP and it’s activists, and provide the needed boost for growth oriented policies to be put into place starting next January. But the candidate at the top has to be able to get GOP candidates for lesser offices to ride those coattails. John McCain can’t do it. At all. Rudy might be able to, but in an environment where economic unease is of the greatest importance in the minds of voters, Romney is the best choice.

Don’t take your ball and go home, or worse, hope for a brokered convention. You know, deep down, that there is a bigger picture here. Time to stop moping and get back in the game. There’s Democrats out there just waiting to be bludgeoned. Electorally. Pick the next best guy and move on.

I guess that’s the problem with being an ideologist - if the square peg doesn’t fit in the round hole, I am not one to commence knocking the corners off of the square peg.

I suppose that “taking my ball and going home” is childish and perhaps I will think better of it. But right now, with the choices available - I’ll have none of it.

Fred was the first candidate I contributed to and worked for.

None of this current crop manages true small government and strong defense. I am a moral conservative, but I think it has little or no place in a discussion of national politics - other than to get the feds out of it. Reverse Roe V Wade and have the feds stop messing with what are state issues. Some States yes, others no, let the people decide there.

Second choices work when I am in control. Chosing between a plane without enough fuel and one with engines far overdue for a rebuild? I’ll walk.

Without None of the Above as a choice, the only moral choice I can make is no vote - a pox on all of their houses.

Maybe I will think differently in the future, but at present, there is not enough lipstick for the any that are in the pen.