People are attracted to people with principles that actually stand for something. Even if they don’t always agree with the person in question, most will respect that person for being consistent in their values and positions.
That is something that is almost impossible in the squishy middle. See Romney and McCain as perfect examples.
I agree that McCain and Romney were not perfect, not even close. But they sure as **** would have been a boatload better than we have had for 4 years and what we will have to endure for the next 4! I will not let the better (McCain and Romney) be the enemy of the best (and who knows who that would have been)! Now we have the worst, which could have been prevented.
fair enough statement .. for those voters that are actually attracted to politicians and care about politics to begin with. There are a lot of voters who don't give a rat's ass about principles. They vote based on a low information voter perception of who looks & speaks better better and who they and their friends can identify with. so we need someone with principles but who could also reach low information agnostic voters (not hardened dems) or all of this is academic.
Where did the "people with principles that actually stand for something" end up in the primaries?
After McCain you and those like you had four years to present an acceptable alternative to Romney. You failed. Spectacularly. Romney presented a strong case, in spite of what many here claim, but it was really never his election to win.