I am still not old enough to vote, but the best choice is to stay moderate and make your decisions based on the candidates, not the party.
The Republican party freed the slaves, the radical republicans punished the south.
The democrats held down black people in the south for years, pretty much until it became socially unacceptable.
The Republican party does not stand up for the little man, the poor man, or the the man in need.
The Democratic party does.
When this country was in its greatest depression...a democrat was there to help.
When the USA was faced with an escalating problem, in an asian country...a democrat was there, and he f***ed it up.
When this country needed prosperity, and nationalism after WWII...a republican was there.
When this country needed hope, needed something to be proud of...a paranoid republican was there, and he f***ed it up.
However just as an old cliche says "the man does not make the time, the time makes the man" (or something like that). It is true that the party does not make times of success, it only enjoys the benefits of good luck.
In our system, the president, the congressman, and the supreme court justices do not affect us as much as the guy sitting at his computer who creates a whole new form of communication. All we can do is try to find someone who will make us safe, and make progress possible.
Neither party is perfect. Neither party is right 100%. Hardliners will never achieve anything in our system, because they will crash and burn with the parties failures. They will always weigh down reform, and will stop us from bettering ourselves.
The greatest presidents, the giants of our nation's history, united the left and the right. People have to make concessions to succeed, that is something a strong conservative and a strong liberal will never do.
So CS1, do yourself a favor, and position yourself in the middle of the spectrum.