Real Clear Politics composite polls of head to head matchups:
McCain 48.5 Clinton 44.5
McCain 45.8 Obama 44.5
Thompson 41.5 Clinton 49.0
Thompson 38.3 Obama 50.3
Headline doesn't jive with the evidence. If it had said "Thompson is a train wreck for the GOP," then based on the evidence, the point would be valid. With the anti-Bush sentiment in the country, the GOP is going to need independents in this election more than ever. McCain consistently delivers on the independent vote. Whether you like McCain or hate him, that is the reality, so the headline makes no sense.
What the GOP needs to just survive is the base and they are not crawling over broken glass for McCain, I can assure you.
If the GOP continues on this independent chasing course, then it is going to die.
Good point, well said.
Actually, I disagree. McCain is a train wreck for the GOP even if he becomes president--perhaps especially should he become president. Should that happen, a substantial number of the worst, crazy left-wing schemes will acquire political cover from the Republican president of the United States. Result, when things tank again, conservatives get blamed.
We are political junkies here. We know the difference between conservatives and John McCain. Most Americans think John McCain IS a conservative. If McCain takes the nation over the cliff, which I believe he will, we get blamed for his ignorance and arrogance.
If we are genuinely becoming a minority position in the US, which I believe we are, America and conservatism is best served by being an opposition party--not just a group of people determined to hold onto a slice of power no matter what the cost. If that is the case, we need to accept that opposition status and make it clear to the American people that there are still adults around in politics who are willing to pick up the pieces when the left drives the country over the cliff.
If McCain is the Republican alternative, the best way to save America and conservatism is to withdraw from the political process, except as issues advocates and to support conservatives in Congressional, State and local elections. There is no point supporting a man who will do everything in his power to destroy the conservative movement and to blame us for his shortcomings.