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Another Painful Lesson For The GOP
IBD Editorials ^ | November 5, 2008

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.


One of the most telling numbers in the IBD/TIPP Poll during the final days of the campaign was the survey's unique measure of intensity among supporters of Barack Obama vs. those of John McCain. Obama backers expressed enthusiasm and confidence that registered in the high 70s, finally finishing at well over 80% on the eve of his election. McCain devotees, by comparison, rarely topped 70% in this gauge of voter passion.

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 ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bho2008; gop; lessons; mccain
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1 posted on 11/05/2008 6:01:22 PM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

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!


2 posted on 11/05/2008 6:02:31 PM PST by nmh (Intelligent people recognize Intelligent Design (God).)
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To: Kaslin

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!


3 posted on 11/05/2008 6:03:24 PM PST by nmh (Intelligent people recognize Intelligent Design (God).)
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To: Kaslin

>A credible Reaganite, in fact, could have even beaten Barack Obama.<

message to the next pubie candidate:

either your a conservative or your toast.


4 posted on 11/05/2008 6:08:34 PM PST by ken21 (people die and you never hear from them again.)
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To: nmh
I agree. The true conservatives of the party never liked him.

RightWingIt.com

5 posted on 11/05/2008 6:09:42 PM PST by GaryLee1990 (www.RightWingIt.com)
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To: GaryLee1990

McCain is in my rear view mirror. Good riddance but thanks for Sarah!


6 posted on 11/05/2008 6:10:36 PM PST by Comparative Advantage
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To: Kaslin
I wonder if this is the death knell for the GOP as we know it. I bet brighter, younger true Conservative's will rebuild the party into something new and stronger! These four years will teach Americans of all persuasions what is wrong with Liberalism and the Democrats and what they did to destroy our country. It then be the Democrats that will have to soul search to rebuild their party ... we will survive! Photobucket
7 posted on 11/05/2008 6:11:48 PM PST by SkyDancer ("I Believe In The Law Until It Interferes With Justice")
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Comment #8 Removed by Moderator

To: Kaslin
Here is the real truth... over 51% of registered voters in the US want to have Uncle Sugar take care of their every need... they have been indoctrinated by the msm and by the public school system.

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

9 posted on 11/05/2008 6:17:33 PM PST by LibLieSlayer (GOD, Country, Family... except when it comes to dims!)
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To: pierce arrow
The answer is to purge this party of liberals like McAmnesty and demand conservative principles.

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.

10 posted on 11/05/2008 6:19:49 PM PST by prolifefirst
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To: nmh

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.


11 posted on 11/05/2008 6:19:53 PM PST by pctech
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To: All
I am proud to say I VOTED, by not voting. Although I consider Obama just another CACA, I would have felt sadder if we, social conservatives, would have given in and sold out our principles. If McCain would have won w/o us, it would have meant we were dispossable, trash, not needed anymore.

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.

12 posted on 11/05/2008 6:21:10 PM PST by ElPatriota (and from these CACAS (McCaca-Ocaca) a beautiful social-con flower rises, but is VP enough?)
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To: nmh

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!


13 posted on 11/05/2008 6:21:23 PM PST by Stayfree (The Obama Disaster.com has all the latest reasons why Obama shouldn't be President!)
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To: SkyDancer

“These four years will teach Americans”...

That a Bird can NOT Fly with only one Wing!!!!!


14 posted on 11/05/2008 6:22:20 PM PST by acoulterfan
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To: pierce arrow

“get the hell out of countries we don’t 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?


15 posted on 11/05/2008 6:33:42 PM PST by death2tyrants
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To: Kaslin

btt


16 posted on 11/05/2008 6:33:50 PM PST by Cacique (quos Deus vult perdere, prius dementat ( Islamia Delenda Est ))
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To: Stayfree

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.


17 posted on 11/05/2008 6:37:47 PM PST by techno
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To: Stayfree

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.


18 posted on 11/05/2008 6:45:45 PM PST by Tammy8 (Please Support and pray for our Troops, as they serve us every day.)
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To: Kaslin

That’s what happens when you run a true left wing liberal against a liberal lite. The real one wins.


19 posted on 11/05/2008 6:49:35 PM PST by org.whodat ( "the Whipped Dog Party" , what was formally the republicans.)
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To: pctech
LOL, what was linus’s brothers name.
20 posted on 11/05/2008 6:53:10 PM PST by org.whodat ( "the Whipped Dog Party" , what was formally the republicans.)
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