I have a hard time supporting someone just because of their party membership. My personal view has always been that I would prefer to remain uninvolved than support people who will make things worse. Republicans had a shot, admitedly short and not as big of a shot the dems now have. IMO they blew it.
Now I am only in my mid twenties, but I have noticed that things only change for the worse. I believe that this is the result of consistently voting for the lesser of two evils. Or finding the R that is most electable. At some point, someone has to objectively question the strategy.
In my view, admitting leftist/progressives into the party is destroying it to save it. One day we will wake up, and R's like McCain, Brown, et al. will no longer be RINO's. They will be the rank-and-file. I don't see this as looking for the perfect republican, just one that is conservative and has a record to back up their stances.
Now as far doing good, voting only for R's as the solution to all of our problems, seems a little wrong. That assumes R's are right about everything, or that the dems are not right enough on some issues to balance the Marxists in the party. I think this not an objective view.
Ten years ago if I had to pick a party I would have chosen the R's. I agreed with Bush's first platform. He didn't really follow through on any of it. Today, I honestly don't know. I guess libertarian, if I had to choose.
When the R's let in the likes of McCain, Brown, Bush, they change their platform. I don't listen to words I look at actions. Based on the choices the R's made during their tenure, I see a platform I don't agree with.
As you define it, I don't do anything to support the "cause." I think that comes from watching broken promise after broken promise. It also comes from watching politicians stop listening to their constiuents. Both sides are guilty of this.
I think your proximity to the Republican party is causing you to be a little sensitive. Nothing wrong with that, but I personally see both sides as too corrupt to trust. Since we are a two party system, there aren't a lot of options.