Crockett,
I won't argue with you that the repubs of today are making a mockery of the party. The tax issues, in my view, are pale by comparison to the civil intrusions they have authorized, the religious fanaticism they have cultivated, and the idiotic limitations on personal freedoms they have justified.
However, given the traditional attitude of the party, it is one's hope that at some point the old ways will prevail over this new age conservatism. My position is pretty simplistic. I do not want to be punished for earning more, for being a business owner, for perhaps one day being in a position to inherit an estate. Many would feel ashamed that their political beliefs are reduced to these fiscal components but that's the way it is, and that's what I base my choice on.
On a lesser note I think that political correctness is a damaging force to this country, that the blind socialization of healthcare is dangerous, and that affirmative action needs to be re-examined.
The result is that given the choice, I'd rather take my chance on a man that just might do as the old repubs did, rather than on a man that will definitely steer away from my interests and the interests of my family.
Again, for me, and for millions of others, there is no real candidate running. When this is the case, I must choose the one that has a greater chance of doing what suits me.