The Contract with America thing is a prime example of the problem. The CwA was a good idea, lots of positive policies, much of it was passed, all of it was put up for a vote. It was a darned good thing overall, as much as anyone can reasonably expect from a political party. And here you are 15 years later, still griping about it as if it were a failure or a blemish on their record.
They go out on a limb for you and 15 years later you're still spitting on them for it. You say you want to support candidates who represent you. Well, your actions show otherwise.
Looking through this thread and lots of others here on APS and elsewhere, it's clear that way too many folks have a bug up their buts over the Republican Party. Everything is their fault, either because they did something wrong, or because someone else did something wrong and they weren't able to stop it, or because they just plain weren't perfect enough (and "perfect" is defined differently for each complainer), or because they compromised in a situation where anything else would have gotten them creamed by a political bus, or whatever. Way too many folks are waiting around for the "perfect" candidate and swear they won't vote for anything else, and even when a candidate comes along who is clearly much closer to perfect than the alternatives, they still refuse to vote for him. There's always an excuse.
And then y'all complain even more because many Republicans take notice of this fact and move towards other voting blocks because they know they can't count on you.
Bottom line is that I can see what y'all are willing to do to oppose Republicans. I see that all too often. I want to see what you're willing to do to support the good Republican politicians out there. If anything. Grinding it out in local politics isn't much fun, it's a lot of work and often fruitless. Not nearly as entertaining as whinging on the net. But it works. It's the only real way to make a positive difference.
I ask again, sincerely, do y'all really want to improve things, or do you simply enjoy complaining?