“But for highest office in the land, I can see how it alienated people who may have otherwise leaned toward that party. (In Germany.)”
I could not agree more. A person with that much potential negative, who really was in it for Germany, should support someone more “traditional” for the job. But my take on top politicians is, they got there because of their ego. Their ego won’t let them stand aside even if it’s the difference between success and failure on the national level. Bob Dole and John McCain were horrible candidates. But in both cases it was their last chance at the gold. In their minds, they earned it, and they weren’t going to stand aside even if they knew in advance they would lose. I think, at least at some level, they knew.
To your point about Dole and McCain, don’t forget about Romney and even the first George Bush with his Read My Lips, I think they all intended to lose. I am certain that Romney intended to lose. I am highly convinced that they all wanted to lose. Why I have no idea. For Romney it was obvious that he was taking a dive in the third round. McCain I never trusted. He was sketchy from the moment he dumped his first wife and hooked up with his second wife, Anheuser Busch.