Hadn't quite thought of "RINO" in these terms, but I accept the truth of it. From Jonah Goldberg's G-file today (to which I don't subscribe, but a friend quoted it):
I
plead guilty to being a Republican in Name Only for the simple reason
that I take no particular pride in being a Republican. I'm a
conservative, and the GOP is the more conservative of the two parties.
If it stopped being that tomorrow, I'd stop being a Republican tomorrow,
the same way I'd stop being a Chipotle customer tomorrow if they
replaced the meat products with tofu.
I am trying to think if, by that measure, I know any Republicans. I know Democrats who will be Democrats no matter what the party stands for, but do I know anyone with similar allegiance to the GOP?