I think McCain’s ceiling is a bit higher this time around because there wasn’t an established opponent for non McCain voters to rally around. That candidate will be emerging shortly.
McCain—————LIAR LIAR LIAR
Fred was right, we are currently fighting for the soul of the Republican party. The folks in charge now, regardless of what they were when they started, are not Conservatives. They're in it for their own careers, their own power and perks, not because they're part of a movement. The gang of 14 and Shamnesty seem like good ideas because they offer them the best chance of keeping their own jobs. They're not Ronald Reagan Republicans. They're Bob Michael Republicans. They want to pick people who will keep them in their cushy positions, whether the candidates they choose will have a chance of winning or not.
We need new leadership and that must come with a complete sweep of the old, all the way from top to bottom. Fred might or might not have done that, but he would have at least tried to force the ones there now to either toe the line or leave. That made them uncomfortable and they actively worked against him. He never came, hat in hand, asking them for their blessing for his campaign and his themes certainly didn't line up with their "go along to get along" philosophy. If Mitt gets the nomination he'll sweep out the old people in the GOP and put in people who are beholding to him, simply based on self interest and the natural practice of his business speciality. Since he's the last chance for a good outcome in this regard for the party and the country we have to either get behind him, and hope that we can at least influence who those people are and the direction they'll take the party (win or lose), or we have to walk away this cycle, take what comes as our medicine, and begin building RIGHT NOW for the future. And we have to start that at the grass roots level, at the county and state party level.
We get the party we deserve, based on how much we've done in working on it.
(that's more than I've posted in a month!)
going back to lurk mode
That candidate to stop McCain and be the consensus Republican candidate for President has emerged:
Mitt Romney.
http://www.humanevents.com/rightangle/index.php?p=19396&gd=01092007';
Mitt Romney for President. Say NO to proamnesty-proCO2caps-CFR-nannystate-RINO John McCain