So it has absolutely nothing to do with philosophy? These people are serious freakin' morons. "I like the commie over the freedom lover because he doesn't say 'You Betcha'". Lord help us all.
It is necessary to deal with reality, however unpleasant. The fact is that most voters vote for someone they like as much as for someone whose policies they like (especially since politicians have a bad habit of concealing their true policy preferences during a campaign). Look on the bright side — this is probably the main reason unlikeable Gore and Kerry never made it......