Like many conservatives, after the results of Super Tuesday, I've come to the realization that the Republican presidential nominee will probably not be a conservative.  That realization greatly concerns me and is causing a great deal of soul searching.  The question that runs through my head is, "Would you prefer the frying pan, or the fire?"

We conservatives, contrary to the liberal media stereotype, are not the mindless sheep of talk radio, but rather serious informed thinkers that tend to weigh out the various sides of each issue. Sure we listen to talk radio, but we dig deeper by reading articles from many sources - on the chance that we'll get an opportunity to offer up a contrary opinion to a liberal during our daily travels.  After Super Tuesday, I've been examining various opinions and facts available to me, and I'm 90% sure of my course of action.  

First, how did I get here?  I've been a Romney guy from the start.  I like his attitude, his professionalism, his family values, and his conservative views.  Has he changed his positions on certain conservative tenets? Yes, but so have all of the remaining Republican candidates.  His character is no more questionable than any other Republican candidate.  I believe his change is genuine, as supported by his actions.  In my own personal prioritization of the issues, his questionable positions are lower in priority to his non-questionable positions.  However, for a host of reasons, (including some Mormon bigotry that still exists in this country) he is falling behind John McCain. 

I find that I disagree with John McCain on far more issues than I agree with him - the largest being Illegal Immigration, where he claims to have changed but his actions (hiring Juan Hernandez) do not support his stated position.

So where does this leave us conservatives?  For now we keep supporting our favorite candidates, as nothing is final yet, but we do need to prepare ourselves for the ultimate ballot for the general election.  The question that we are all facing is: Do we support a Republican candidate that doesn't agree with the vast majority of our conservative views (ie. the Frying Pan), or do we stay home on election day and allow a Democrat that doesn't agree with ANY of our views to become the next president (ie. the Fire)?  If we opt for the Fire, we sell out our military and our children completely.  If we opt for the Frying Pan, we sell out our conscience and our children at a slower rate.  

I'd like to make the case for supporting the Republican nominee regardless, as the results are not completely hopeless - nor are they as difficult to reverse.  First, all we've been hearing since 2003 is "the war, the war, the war".  This was the rallying cry of the 2004 election on both sides.  If we believe that radical islamists are truly an existential threat to Western Civilization, does it make sense to ignore it now - when it looks like we're winning? As we've learned already, it is far too soon to be proclaiming "Mission Accomplished".  Second, liberals in this country have been very creative in finding ways enforce their views and legislation on this country in spite of the wishes of the voting public.  One of these creative ways is through our court system, in particular the Supreme Court.  It is a fact that Supreme Court justices appointed by Democrats are politically liberal and believe that our Constitution is a dynamic document open to interpretations applicable to the "progressive" view.  With 6 supreme court justices over 60 years old (John Paul Stevens is 87!), the next president will have at least one appointment, but most likely more.  A Democratic president and Democratic congress, will almost certainly mean extremely liberal supreme court justice appointees, and potentially open the floodgates of judicial retirements.  With a liberal court system in place to support their agenda, Democratic socialists in this country would have all the tools to change this country irreversibly, without regard for the voting public, and securing future Democratic office holders.

These 2 points alone, are enough to secure my decision.  Thinking of my country, our military, and my children, I will feel much better supporting whomever the eventual Republican nominee is.  But is that it?  Just give up and except it?  Our job is not finished.  

We conservatives need to become much more involved at the grassroots level, to help support true conservative candidates that will be the future leaders of the Republican party.  It is due to apathy and corruption that we have liberals in the Republican ranks today, and we conservatives have no one to blame but ourselves.  We need to get involved and make our voices heard.  We need to expose RINOs and debate them.  We have the strength of facts and ideas on our side, and we should be touting those ideas from a position of strength rather than waiting on the sidelines for elections in "reactive mode".  By the time an election comes around, our objections are too late and too weak.  We all need to do our part to strengthen the conservative movement, and not be afraid to debate others with conviction.