During every election cycle, we hear grumbling from certain circles in the Republican party about the inadequacy of our nominees.  The complaints range from "the candidate is too conservative" to "the candidate is a RINO."  No big surprises here.  And no big problem, either, except that in recent years, disgruntled primary voters have gone farther, threatening to stay home on election day.  Frankly, my wing of the party are the worst offenders.  I am a Reagan conservative -- a real one, who actually voted for him twice.  And Ronald Reagan would never call for putting ideological purity above the good of the country.

This nation is in crisis.  The American people are in the fight of our national life, and it is no time to make a "statement."  It might make one feel noble for about a minute and a half, but if it results in Obama's skidding into a second term, you will feel like an idiot for a whole lot longer.  I hope this doesn't apply to many, but any conservative who is saying, "If 'blank' is the Republican candidate, I just won't vote" is a fool of the first order.  Mrs. Gump had this one right -- stupid is as stupid does!  If we fail to get rid of Obama in 2012, no other conservative value will matter very much.

There are no perfect politicians.  The "perfect" candidate can get elected, but he or she may not be able to govern.  Campaigning and governing are different skills, and both are rarely found in equal abundance in the same person.  Any person who has served in elective office quickly learns the difference between running for office and doing the job.  Well, most do.  Obama may be the exception.  He has never transitioned into governing mode.  As president, he has surrounded himself with campaign operatives and academic theorists.  No one in this administration has actually administered anything...with the possible exception of a government grant.

I don't have a candidate yet -- I need to hear a lot more before I reach a decision -- but Mitt Romney has already been dubbed the RINO in this primary race.  So what's the worst that can happen if he is elected president?  He actually does know something about governing.  He actually does know something about how the private-sector economy works.  He actually has stated that his first act in office will be to grant waivers for Obamacare to every state and begin work to repeal it outright.  He actually does support a balanced budget amendment and the capping of federal spending.  He actually does oppose higher tax rates and supports reforming the tax system.

But he might not be telling the whole truth, right?  I don't necessarily believe that, but let's say it's true.  What's the alternative to Romney if he becomes the nominee?

If Obama is reelected, and if Democrats hang onto the Senate or, God forbid, retake the House, the Progressives in America take a giant leap forward on the road to socialism.  Obamacare will be firmly entrenched.  Our government will transition into a nation of regulations rather than a nation of laws.  Our Constitution will be meaningless.  All those social issues that concern so many in the Republican party will become the law of the land.  We will become a third-rate power in the world.  Our borders will be overrun.  We will be held hostage by the energy-producing nations, and gasoline and utility costs will skyrocket.  All of that is over and above the obvious fact that America will be bankrupt!

No doubt a few will argue that if we reelect Obama in this cycle and the inevitable disaster ensues, our conservative candidate is a lock in 2016.  Forgive my incivility, but that is just plain idiotic.  In the first place, there is no such thing as a "lock" in politics, particularly not when the opposition owns the media, the unions, and Wall Street and isn't above voter fraud and intimidation.  In the second place, there won't be anything left to save!  How many of you can hang in that long?  I know very few.  People are losing their jobs, their homes, and their savings now.  Their health care disappears in 2014.  Every Republican, every independent, and every right-thinking Democrat must come out in November 2012 and vote.

Personally, I hope that the Republican nominee will be a true conservative, but I'm not stupid.  If I can't get a screeching halt to what Obama is doing to this country, then I will settle for a steady tap on the brakes.  At least that way, I might survive to fight another day.  Primaries are the way we vet the candidates, and they should be hard-fought.  But when it's over, it's over.  I can only hope that my fellow conservatives see things the same way and that they remember what the bottom line is here -- get rid of Obama in 2012!