Don't think they will get hammered unless there is a Republican who can do better than 7% in the polls. Right now the only one who can beat McCain or Rudy is Condi Rice.
The media is trying to pre-select the Republican presidential field by limiting the pool to two RINOs who will not win the Nation-wide primary. If cross dressing Rudy or Christian bashing Mcaniac do win the primary, they will split the party and Hillary will win. That is why all we hear about is "Which Rino will win the Republican nomination?"