"Moderate" Republicans demanded (and were given) carte blanche opportunity to demonstrate, once and for all, that they knew how to win at the national level, this year. They got exactly the candidate they wanted. They got exactly the party platform they demanded. The campaign was run exactly the way they insisted it be run. How'd that end up working out for us, again...?
We did everything the RINO way this year, exactly the way the "moderates" wanted it, down to the last mewled syllable of their squishy, mealy-mouthed sock puppet's last apologetic campaign commercial.
Look, guys, it's time to get a reality check here.
"Moderate" Republicans or "Conservative" Republicans or "(Insert label here) Republicans" are no longer in control of anything.
See Post 312. Independents are in control and "Independents" are not merely a faction. "Independents" far outnumber ALL Republicans put together.
America, right now, is split down the middle between "left of center" and "right of center". Millions of voters today were not even alive when Ronald Reagan left office. Millions more voters have long forgotten how it was to live with the economy going down the toilet under Jimmy Carter.
Tens of millions of voters TODAY only know that the economy is going down the toilet RIGHT NOW and, for the past eight years a Republican President that has claimed to be conservative was in the White House.
This year, the "Republican" name brand and the "conservative" name brand were as toxic as the brand name "liberal" was toxic in 1980. That's just the way the political pendulum swings.
So, this year, since "conservative" brand name is toxic to the majority of American voters and since the polar opposite of "conservative" must be good to the Democrat Sheeple brain, on the Democrat side, a one-term Senate Marxist is nominated.
So, this year, since "conservative" brand name is toxic to the majority of American voters, on the Republican side, a Moderate Republican is nominated with many right-of-center Independents voting in Republican primaries.
So, how do many "Conservatives" react to the choice between a Moderate Republican in the White House and a less than one-term Senate Marxist in the White House?
"McCain Is a RINO!!!! I will NEVER vote for a RINO!!!"
"I will NOT vote for the lesser evil!!!! I will throw away my vote by voting for that third party candidate listed between Ralph Nader and Cynthia McKinney!!!"
"I will not vote at all. I WILL STAY HOME ON ELECTION DAY!!!!"
Look at the comments on these threads to the effect that, "If it were not for Palin, I would not have voted for the McCain ticket at all!"
EVEN WHEN FACED WITH A MARXIST, these "conservatives" were threatening to stay home because they would rather have a Marxist in the White House than have a RINO in the White House.
"Pick a conservative VP candidate that I adore or I will stay home and let a Marxist become President of the United States!"
So, what does McCain do?
McCain panders.
"We must pick a 100% conservative VP that the conservatives adore or they will blow their own brains out and I think they're crazy enough to do it!"
Not an unreasonable decision. George W. Bush's greatest failing was his ability to communicate effectively. A smart as a whip conservative would have gotten the RINO-haters to the polls and maybe even repaired the damage to the Conservative brand name.
Many choices were available.
Then McCain OVER-PANDERS.
"We also need to pick a WOMAN! Make sure she has experience, executive experience."
All of a sudden, the wide choice narrows down to one person:
Sarah Palin.
We complain about Obama having "no experience" and McCain goes and picks a VP candidate that, since only December 4, 2006, has been the Governor of a state that has less than one third of the population of Dade County, Florida.
Before that, she was the Mayor of a town now has a grand total of 9,780 residents. At the conclusion of Palin's tenure as mayor in 2002, the town had about 6,300 residents
She has not even lived in the Lower 48 since 1987.
Come on! Really!
Sarah Palin might be a very nice lady. She might fit right in here at Free Republic. We might love to have her as a next door neighbor.
However, the fact remains that Sarah Palin was WAAAAAAY in over her head as a potential major player on the national or international stage.
And it showed. It showed very painfully.
If you still live in Seattle, you know that, even among Independent voters, Sarah Palin became the punchline of a joke.
Fairly or unfarly, to the 53% of all American voters with an UNFAVORABLE opinion of her, Sarah Palin has become a Dan Quail in a skirt.
Like Dan Quail, in regards to winning a future Presidential election, Sarah Palin is toast.
You will NOT win a Presidential election when 53% of the voters have an UNFAVORABLE opinion of you.
You just don't. That's not Rocket Science.
Sarah Palin was an Affirmative Action VP pick ("If we pick a woman, female voters will vote for her because she is a woman) just like Barack Obama was an Affirmative Action choice ("I am voting for Obama so I can say I voted for the first African-American President!").
Be brutally honest with yourself in answering these two questions.
If Barack Obama's father had been a white, blue eyed, Norwegian, graduate student named Bjorn Olsen who left him as a baby to be raised by a white American mother, would anybody give "Barry Olsen", white, blue eyed, ex-community organizer, first term Senator from Illinois, the slightest consideration as a serious Presidential candidate?
If Sarah Palin had been "Roger Palin", a man who was an ex-small town Mayor and then Governor of Alaska, a state with less than one third the population of Dade County, Florida, for less than two years, would anybody give the slightest consideration to Roger Palin as a serious VP candidate?
Can you truthfully answer, "Yes" to either of those two questions?
With the liberals now in power, dollars to donuts, things will go south unless Obama makes a sharp right turn towards the center.
If things get really bad, as they did with Jimmy Carter, then "liberal" will once again become the toxic brand name.
At such time, a conservative can win but it must be a serious candidate with serious preparation and experience for the job.
Just being conservative and cute will get you gushing reviews on FR but, unless you bring something else to the table, you will be an utter failure when you strive for electoral victory outside of your own little local political stomping grounds or outside your own little political fan club.
Case in point:
