If McCain loses, we all had better be prepared to defend our fellow conservatives, because they will need it.
The model in most authoritarian or totalitarian states is to attack the opposition, and minimize them in the public arena.
I do think Obama will be a horrible president and then more people will see him for what he really is, but The GOP will have to work on it’s brand as well.
Obama has shown that he can't tolerate criticism and has declared war on Fox News. If he doesn't destroy Fox, he may at least succeed in neutering them so they are indistinguishable from CNN. Expressing opinions could become dangerous--not that he will put people in concentration camps, just destroy them financially. Joe the Plumber is the canary in the coal mine. Churches will be bullied into complying with his agenda--he'll try to force church-affiliated hospitals to perform abortions, and perhaps sic the IRS on churches which speak out againt abortion or the homosexual agenda.
If it weren't for the IRS, churches wouldn't have to be so fearful of the government. The Catholic bishops may have rebuked a few Catholic politicians for supporting abortion, but they can't tell people not to vote for someone who will sweep away any restrictions on abortion because they're afraid of losing their tax-exampt status.