Posted on 11/05/2008 6:01:21 PM PST by Kaslin
Election '08: This year's presidential contest was not, as some predicted, a historic blowout handing unfettered power to the Democrats. A credible Reaganite, in fact, could have even beaten Barack Obama.
In other words, a whole lot of committed Republicans didn't think McCain with his late conversion on the Bush tax cuts, his opposition to new drilling in Alaska, and his soft stances on immigration and global warming would make the ideal GOP president.
Did this "fervor gap" prevent the possible defeat of Obama? It's impossible to know definitively, but it's clear that an un-GOP-sounding McCain echoed Obama and congressional Democrats in blaming "greed" on Wall Street as the cause of the financial crisis instead of strongly defending private markets over government control.
What is also clear is that, once again, the GOP's Reagan coalition was split apart in the primaries with Mitt Romney getting votes from free market enthusiasts and Mike Huckabee energizing religious conservatives. As a result, a "maverick" who four years ago mulled the idea of switching parties got the nomination by default, campaigning mostly on his compelling life story as hero and POW.
(Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com ...
Do you think McCain gete it?
I have to admit I have my doubts ...
I held my nose and voted for him ...
HE is what is WRONG with the GOP!
Do you think McCain gets it?
I have to admit I have my doubts ...
I held my nose and voted for him ...
HE is what is WRONG with the GOP!
The “big tent” has CAVED IN! It doesn’t work!
>A credible Reaganite, in fact, could have even beaten Barack Obama.<
message to the next pubie candidate:
either your a conservative or your toast.
McCain is in my rear view mirror. Good riddance but thanks for Sarah!
At the root of the cause is Bush/republican fatigue that set in due to Bush and Capital Hill spending like drunk sailors... Bush allowing foreign nationals to riot in our streets, while telling us that we were racists if we did not embrace these illegals as fellow Americans... New Tone that led to Bush never defending himself and by proxy us... those that stood by him and defended him at every turn.
This article is just more inside the beltway, elitist dribble by those that adore powell for his act of treason.
LLS
Since your obviously a neo-Buchananite let me say, as Pat might say, it's too late to get those horses back in the barn! The country we want has disappeared under the sea.
McCain was a much better man than Obama, a much more honorable man, but, yes McCain is what’s wrong with the GOP. We need people like Jindal and Palin in charge of the GOP and get rid of the ones like Baker, Bush, McCain, Romney, and others.
We made the difference in many close races in the past and I am sure we did as well this time around.
Yes, GOP, NOT ALL OF US are the idiots you think we are.
No, we are what is wrong with the GOP. All of the members of the GOP need to come to absolute agreement in order to solidify a superb voting block, otherwise without absolute unity, we are doomed to more defeat. Think of it as a war with the democrats, if this were the military, there would be no room for dissension period. Everyone here has an idea, but nobody has the solution!
“These four years will teach Americans”...
That a Bird can NOT Fly with only one Wing!!!!!
“get the hell out of countries we dont belong in like Iraq”
Al-qaeda and Iran agree!
“Get out of Nafta!! Build and manufacture in AMERICA!!.”
Yes, isolationist, anti-free trade policies will skyrocket the number of manufacturing jobs within America./s
Your different than Obama how?
btt
I am greatly surprised that so many conservatives and Republicans stayed home because of McCain. I thought his choice of Sarah would have bridged that gap. With many I think it did. But for a sizeable number apparently I guess it didn’t matter what McCain did: they weren’t going to vote for him come hell or high water and that’s that.
Voters being strung out on various issues is normal- that is how people are, we are not factory cookies. What we need is leadership- conservative leadership to gather us up and lead us forward as a group. The problem is we have recently had leaders of the party and candidates trying to lead us to the left. More to the left each time. Those of us that want to go left simply vote D because they are the left. I think it is that simple. The hard part is finding that conservative leadership- but we sure don’t have it now in any shape or form anywhere near the top. So it is time for a house cleaning in the party, and we need to find new leadership.
I have no idea how to accomplish all this- but it is the problem, not people having different ideas. Not all conservatives agreed with Reagan on every issue- many disagreed with him on several issues- but he was conservative, and he was a leader and he had no problem getting the support and votes he needed. We may never find another Reagan- but we really won’t if we don’t get rid of the left wing of the party and look for one.
That’s what happens when you run a true left wing liberal against a liberal lite. The real one wins.
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