Many wonder how a war hero with a sound record of "working across the aisle" lost so handily and completely to an unknown with no record, and very suspicious radical ties.
Some say it was because of the economy. Some, because he belonged to the same party as Bush. And some say it was because America has taken an abrupt left turn.
All of them are wrong.
Of course, the economy and the Bush legacy damaged McCain, and would have damaged any Republican to some degree. But McCain allowed those things to hurt him far more than was necessary. And America, by all polls, is still right of center. So, just why DID McCain lose so badly?
He lost because he betrayed the conservative base that is the strength of the GOP. He tried so hard to encompass moderates, and the so-called "Reagan Democrats" that he lost the support of many Republicans.
I have heard from thousands of Republicans who chose not to vote for McCain because they were still angry that he tried so hard - and sneakily - to betray conservative values concerning immigration. And throughout the campaign, they waited with baited breath to hear him say, "I was wrong - that was not the answer." But he never did recant his position.
And they waited, and hoped he would finally admit that his "McCain-Feingold" bill was a huge mistake. But in spite of being handicapped because of it, he stood by it.
And they waited for McCain to get angry about the debacle in the financial sector. They waited to hear him say he would find the responsible parties and hold them accountable - jail, not bail. But he remained silent, and even contributed to passing the hated bail-out bill.
Well, Senator McCain, if you kick your supporters often enough just to try and win a few "moderate" votes that there is little chance of winning, you will lose. And you did lose. You lost the country for the same reason you lost Pennsylvania - you invested too much into trying to win votes that you just could not win. By courting moderate Democrats, you lost Republicans - and still did not get the Democrats. You tried to win 50,000 Pennsylvania Democrats - and it cost you 50,000 Republicans, and you still did not get those Democrats. So, you lost.
And so did many other so-called Republicans who also lost their way. And the GOP will continue to lose until they wake up, and return to their roots, because that is where their stength is.
The GOP has to remember one simple tenet of business - you trade nickles for dimes, not vice versa. If you are going to dump 50,000 Republican votes, you had damned well better be certain you are getting more than that from the other side. And in politics, that simply is not possible.
As of now, there are precious few Republicans capable of rebuilding the party - Palin, Steele, Gingrich, Jundal, DeMint. That's about it.
And as of now, the "elitist" members of the GOP who have ruined the party these last 10 years are fighting hard to hold on, and working to destroy the very Republicans who can save the party.
Unless the PEOPLE of the GOP stand up and demand change, the liberal socialists will continue to rule.
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1 comment:
You are so on target. I did not want to vote for Obama but, good grief, McCain was just as bad in his own direction. I got so disgusted with the Republican party I changed to Independent a year ago. And things have gotten even worse with the Party.
I cannot abide with the extreme leftist views of Obama but what was the opposite choice?
Right up to the last moment (literally) I dithered between do I not vote, vote for Obama to spite the Republican party, or vote for McCain. AGGGGGGH! I finally voted for McCain, not because I supported him but because I wanted to go on record opposing the extreme leftest views of Obama. As it turned out, Obama got some 61 - 62 million votes BUT there were some 50 million votes he did not get. It cannot be called a mandate as some leftists are now doing, just a popular vote win. There are 50 million of us who are not happy with the degradation of our American values which made this country strong and the great country it has been. With all it's faults, it is still (and still will be, I hope) the best thing around.
Yes, I support Obama as the President of my country as this is the way we do things; however, I plan to be vocal on those policies with which I disagree.
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