I've pretty much run the full gamut of politics throughout my life.
In 1972, while still a youth, I passed out cards for Nixon (a socially liberal Republican) at four different polling stations in our neighborhood (and would like to think I was solely responsible for his historic landslide re-election).
(Okay, maybe a few others had something to do with it, as well.)
Just four years later, I supported Carter (a fully liberal Democrat), actually having high hopes for him. Less than half way through his administration, however, all such hopes had been dashed, as he was revealed to be a weak and grossly incompetent embarrassment (and this from a formerly ardent supporter of his).
Four years later I (as a registered Democrat) voted for Reagan (a fully conservative Republican), because I had come to despise Carter (whom I had admired just four years previously), and also because I truly felt comfortable with Reagan.
Incredibly*, I did not vote for Reagan during his re-election bid in 1984 (even though some of his debate responses against Mondale were some of the best I'd ever seen, before or since). For reasons I don't wish to disclose, I was angry with him and refused to give him my vote in his re-election bid.
* I say "incredibly" as Reagan was re-elected with far more votes in 1984 than he had received in 1980; as such I was probably one of only a relatively small number who had previously voted
for him, then subsequently
against him.
Throughout the 80's I went off the liberal deep-end, having voted for Ted Kennedy, Jesse Jackson, Walter Mondale and Michael Dukakis.
In 1991 I awoke as from a deep slumber and realized (as Reagan had said many years before) that I hadn't left the Democratic party, but that the Democratic party had left me. As the Democrat party had moved so far away from my views that I could no longer (in good conscience) remain within their ranks, I registered as a Republican, held my nose, and subsequently voted for Bush Sr. in 1992 (I didn't like him then, and I still don't like him now; however, comparable to Clinton*, IMO, he was the better of two evils).
* Clinton was actually the catalyst who drove my parents (both life-long Democrats) out of the party.
While I have been a conservative Republican ever since, I do not (by any means) blindly endorse every Republican concept and/or action. (To cite one obvious example, I was publicly, and very vocally, against both invasions of Iraq -- although, for different reasons each time.) I never cared for Dole, but again (as previously in 1992) cast a vote for the one I saw as the lesser of two evils in accordance with my political views -- and have essentially been doing the same ever since, as (with the sole exception of the vote I cast for Reagan in 1980) I have never been fully behind any Presidential candidate for whom I've voted in the last 34 years.
Sad, but true. Such is the nature of an imperfect world.