[Poohbah]

What percentage of conservatives "backstabbed" Bush in 2000?

4,000,000 no-show conservatives relative to 1996--newsflash kids, BOB DOLE got more conservative votes than Bush ever did--translates to about a 4% shift in the popular vote, and about 9-10% of the total conservative vote.

When I was a Marine, we always spoke of "The 10% who screw up a good deal for everybody else."

Bush managed to win in spite of our 10%. Now, the 10% want to give Boxer a third term--and screw it up for everybody else.

[Sabertooth]

4,000,000 no-show conservatives relative to 1996--newsflash kids, BOB DOLE got more conservative votes than Bush ever did--translates to about a 4% shift in the popular vote, and about 9-10% of the total conservative vote.

So, 4 million would be 10% of 40 million, right?

If 90% of the 40 million conservatives voted for Bush, that's about 36 million votes, by my math. Agreed?

Also, do you really hold that a "wise GOP strategist would simply discount (a non-base) vote at the outset, because (it is) unreliable?"