[mbraynard]

In 1996, Bob Dole was behind 2 points the day after the convention ended. It was never again so close.

[gallandro]

1996... ummmm you do realize Slick Willy was the incumbent President. Comparing 96 with 08 is just silly.

Yancy

[Federalist Society]

In 1996, Bob Dole was behind 2 points the day after the convention ended. It was never again so close. Well let me tell you Bob Dole thinks about that. Bob Dole thinks . . . Sorry, but I don't see the comparison. Dole was a weak candidate, people couldn't relate to him, and he was running against an incumbent President. This is not the case here.

[Cicero]

In 1996, Bob Dole was behind 2 points the day after the convention ended. It was never again so close.

As I remember that campaign, it was a choice between Bob Dole and Pat Buchanan. Ralph Reed threw his support to Dole, and that put him over the top. In retrospect, Reed was right, although it cost him his job: Buchanan would have been worse. But Dole immediately proceeded to kick the Evangelicals in the teeth before the convention even had ended. He repudiated the pro-life movement, reached out to the clintons and the RINOs, and went steadily downhill from there.

I don't think McCain and Palin will do that. McCain has been making more sense as the campaign progresses, moving to consolidate his base and turning away from the RINOs who nominated him. Palin has fired the base up. It's the exact opposite of what Dole did.

[Loyalist]

Sure, but Bob Dole phoned in the 1996 campaign from the start.

And we have never seen a presidential campaign where the vice-presidential nominee was perceived as the greater threat to the other party’s president nominee.

[forYourChildrenVote4Bush]

Compare Jack French Kemp with Palin - this time around you have a difference...