Who, then, is electable?
Well, I asked you why you think Rudy is so electable. Will you answer that?
Who, then, is electable?
Normally I would wait until you answered what I put to you, but anyway:
I am not sure. "Electable" means a lot of things. Presidents are elected on positions, leadership, and appearence (and some other things, but lets keep it simple for now). The weights of these factors change over time. Sometimes underlying positions matter more than other times.
But, the weight of the evidence since 1980 (and we could go back to '76 when the "electable" Ford beat Reagan) is that the best candidate for the GOP has positions that are more conservative than Rudy's. Rudy has good leadership skills, although I am unsure if his personal life will have any effect.
Anyway, that's all I am saying, is that it is hard for me to see any evidence that Rudy is this tremendously electable guy. Now, of course, that does not mean that the favorite of conservatives is neccessarily the most electable. I don't think Gingrich is very electable. I will be voting for Ron Paul, but am totally aware that he is not electable. I tend to like the Fred Thompson idea. But, as I said, I just don't believe in the median voter model which basically states that whoever is most to the left is the most electable. It hasn't worked since at least 1976.