If the general election is McCain or Obama….

[citizen]

No, I will not vote for McCain, ever. My answer is the same as I have given all along: 3rd party or write-in.

I have come to the preliminary conclusion that while minority Republicans in the House and especially in the Senate will fight Hillary tooth and nail every step of the way, those same minority Republicans will mostly roll over for a President McCain’s same-as-Dimocrat agenda on borders/immigration, taxes, judges, free speech, global warming BS, etc. I feel they will oppose Obama just as much as they will oppose Hillary.

That being my conclusion at this time, I’d prefer an energized group of Republican politicians, pundits/talkers and the base opposing Hillary or Obama than bowing to the faux-Conservative McCain.

[fightinJAG]

I hope you’re right, and do agree that as reality hits, so will reason, no matter how bitter.

[winodog]

Nobody scares me more than Hillary.

Bears repeating and she has some stiff competition from both sides of the aisle. McInsane got his nickname for a good reason and many consider him a traitor. Obama may actually be the muslimchurian cantidate And Bills wife scares me more then both puttogether.

[Vigilanteman]

Clinton with a Democrat congress got us 1994 and a 12 year majority before the RINOs squandered it.

Carter with a Democrat congress got us eight years of Ronald Reagan.

I'll vote for Republicans down ticket but never for McCain unless he has one foot in the grave, the other on a banana peel and a solid conservative as VP.

[Molly T.]

I will go one step further...I think Obama is a “dyed in the wool Muslim”...how else do you explain his choice of church and minister...a minister who happens to idolize Louis Farrakhan (sp) and his “Nation of Islam”...the acorn does not fall far from the tree...as in ...Obama’s step dad is a radical Muslim and Obama was schooled in Islam for several years during his early years...I don’t know who I’ll vote for...I know who I won’t .....and McCain is at the top of that list..this political year has turned into “the perfect storm”...you couldn't’t write a book plot any better...or more disgusting.

I feel we have been manipulated by the National Republican Committee, the mainstream media and a WHOLE BUNCH of RINOS....well, I am a CONSERVATIVE and I’m darned if I’ll be pushed into voting for a Socialist or a liberal passing himself off as Conservative....no thanks, got snookered twice on that scenario...not this time.

[DugwayDuke]

“Instead of not voting for McCain, I would get the sheer pleasure of voting AGAINEST HIM! It makes me warm and fuzzy just thinking about it.”

So would peeing in your pants and that would be far more productive.

[Flashman_at_the_charge]

“All compromise is based on give and take, but there can be no give and take on fundamentals. Any compromise on mere fundamentals is a surrender. For it is all give and no take.”
~ Gandhi

[COBOL2Java]

It won’t matter, McCain won’t win anyway. Think about McCain going up against either Democrat and giving a performance like he gave last night. The Democrat is going to snicker and apologize to the audience for having to contradict McCain’s senior moment.

Precisely so. If McInsane is the nominee, the Democrat/Drive-by machine will eat him up and spit him out (doesn't matter whether the Dem is Hillary or Obama). McCain will essentially get a "Dear John" letter from the Drive-bys, and assuming he hasn't had a major medical malfunction, by November will be left sitting in a corner mumbling to himself about the strawberries. The Democrat will win in a landslide, and McCain will be shipped to some Phoenix nursing home.

If McInsane's the Republican candidate, I'll go 3rd party.

[Tall_Texan]

Believe it or not, I am feeling the same way.

I know that, idealogically, Obama is the same as Hillary but I don’t think Obama would have even a 10th of the support structure to pull off what he wants to do and, after four years of his inexperience and missteps, the country will be ready to throw him out and we can put a real conservative in office instead of the pretenders we have running now.

And if Obama slays The Beast in the primaries, he will have my gratitude, regardless of our political disagreements (same as I would have had for Giuliani if he’d had the balls to beat Hillary in 2000 or 2006 when he had the chances).

And, yes, playing the race card would be harder to do in all future elections once a black man was elected president. Were there a tenable conservative in the race, I wouldn’t even think of voting for Obama but, against McCain, I just might do it. I’m certainly not voting for McCain - period. And I will not be contributing to the GOP as long as he is their standard-bearer.

[Tall_Texan]

Are the Republicans so stupid to think that their conservative base would jump for joy with a McCain nomination? Are we all supposed to just accept whatever trash they throw us?

Exactly. Any party willing to nominate their own Judas doesn't deserve my dollars or my votes.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

If the general election is McCain or Obama…

Bullwinkle

(Teddy Roosevelt - Bull Moose party...)

[PurpleMan]

In a POTUS election for acompletely NEW administration:

Ike brought in a GOP majority in ‘50
Kennedy won the DEMs a clear majority in ‘60
Johnson kept the DEM majority in ‘64
Nixon gained seats for the GOP in ‘68 (althought DEMs in control)
Carter gained seats for the Dem majority in ‘76
Reagan won a GOP majority in ‘80
Bush 41 stayed even in ‘88
Clinton gained DEM seats in ‘92

W is the anomoly; In ‘00 he was elected but lost the GOP majority.

Point being - Coattails do occur

[Vinomori]

Are you a writer in private life? This is beautifully written.

[TSchmereL]

I appreciate the facts you compiled regarding Presidential coat-tails. I sincerely do.

I initially responded to you comment: “If McCain wins, do we know what his coattails will mean for Congress?”

I said: “Republican coat-tails in 2008?”

My point was merely that McCain does not even have a strong chance of winning against the Democrat in 2008. If he does win, it will be by the seat of his pants, not with coat-tails.

[Types_with_Fist]

I always vote. I always vote my conscience, and I've never subscribed to the "a vote for (fill in the blank) is a vote for (fill in the blank)." A non-vote, I suppose, can be described that way, but not a conscience vote.

That said, there are no conservative choices from the two main parties. So, likely, I will go third-party this year. The "lesser of two evils" is not and never has been an option. We've got what we have because of that.

[PurpleMan]

I understand your point.

I was making/asking a somewhat academic question/point for discussion’s sake.

[ClearBlueSky]

A socialist Muslim( no one will ever convince me otherwise President named Hussein Obama OR a socialist/communist lesbian Royal Dictator? Some choice!
Can’t-won’t- do it. I’d write in Nancy Reagan first.
How could we have come to such a pass? PRAY for our country!

[ClearBlueSky]

Let me amend my last post. The choice was between the socialist Muslim or a madman??
Quel nightmare!
It will probably be a Hitlery/Hussein ticket against ManiC Cain. NO WAY I could live with myself giving either permission to run this nation.
We are in serious trouble, people. Buy guns, get guts, pray hard for divine intervention SERIOUS.
Actually- I’ve thought of the perfect way we could be spared this disaster!
McCain could ‘go off’ finally, knock off both Hitlery and Hussein, claim PTS mental disorder( he qualifies) and end up in a nice facility. VOILA- we’d have to start over with the election.
Allow me my dreams!

[GatorGirl]

Robbin, I’ve been thinking the same thing.

Obama has no experience or Presidential credentials, so he would be incredibly weak. He wouldn’t be able to get any of his socialist ideas through because he lacks all credibility. He’d be totally ineffectual.

McCain and Hitlery scare me to death! GG