I am not walking away in disgust, never again to participate in our political process. I am instead leveraging my vote as a commodity. Back during the 2004 campaign when when I was still a lifelong Republican, GWB was running for re-election, I had an opportunity to speak with the chairman of the California Republican Party. I criticized our party's big government, big spending practices and asked if that would continue in a 2nd Bush term. His answer was something along the lines of 'it doesn't matter; you have nowhere else to go. What are you gonna do, vote for Kerry'? as though he thought that was funny. I cannot describe how much that pissed me off. I'm still pissed off. So pissed off, I've re-registered 'no party affiliation'. This is after Republican party membership since 1968.
Few of us are happy with Bush. Even fewer of us are happy with McCain. It just gets worse. I'm not represented, are you? Then why give your vote to people who don't represent your interests and values? Oh, yeah. I forgot. 'The Democrats are worse'. Of course the Democrats are worse. That's why we are (or were) Republicans. But if it's necessary to become big spending big government Republicans in order to defeat Democrats, what's the point?
Lemme cut to the bottom line. I'd like enough of us to withhold our vote this election to make an impact. The likely result will be a Democrat in the Whitehouse. The Republican party will ask why we didn't vote for them?
We'll answer 'because you spend too much, and make government too big and intrusive'.
The Republicans will say 'but the Democrats are worse'.
We'll say 'yes, but they're not the ones out of power, you are. If you want to be back in power, you'll have to make some commitments'.
IOW, Republicans are (for now) our last best chance of returning this country to the People. They simply need to receive the correct instructions and incentive from us. We can do it.
It will take probably no more than one election cycle, at worst, two. IOW, in 8 years, we can reverse runaway government growth and spending, and return this country back to the middle class.
Or, vote for McCain. Your choice.