They have the same fears about Hillary, too.
We just might be incredibly lucky this year. With a poor economy, controversial war, and highly unpopular President, we should be headed for a shelllacking. But the DemocRATS then proceeded to rally around the most unappealing, radical candidates they could find. We could hold the White House in spite of everything.
It would be the mother of all bullet dodges. However we can do it.
Sounds like 1948 in reverse. Truman has dismal approval ratings and everyone was sick and tired of Democrats running the White House for years, so it was assumed the GOP would easily take back the White House just as they had solid gains in Congress two years earlier as a backlash against Truman.
Then Dewey and the GOP managed to screw it up and run the worst campaign possible after a bitter primary fight. Dewey wasn't worried, he gave vague speeches calling for "change" and acted like he was a shoo-in. The result, as we all know, was a big Dem upset by the time November rolled around.
The public wants to poke Bush and other Republicans in the eyes. With McCain’s history of being an independent maverick, the public feels that McCain might be okay. In fact, the more Rush and Ann Coulter criticize McCain, the more appealing McCain becomes to independents.