What's up with that?

Could it be that these two groups, religious fundies and libertarian republicans, are unhappy with the GOP candidate?

McCain got only a quarter of the votes of the Democrats combined.

Granted, the GOP vote was meaningless, but this is the trend in every state, including those that Republicans competed in.


Maybe the party isn't as united as neocon trolls like to think?

Honestly, I think it's a misleading stat. McCain has the nomination, so there is little point for any McCain supporter to vote. Huck and Paul voters showed up to cast their protest vote. If the race were still in doubt the results would likely have been different.

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True.

That's what I'm getting at...

How many will stay home (or vote in protest) in november?


It's glossed over at the moment, because all the focus is on the Dem's...

I think most of them vote McCain in November. The thought of Hillary or Obama will be too much.

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Perhaps...

Depends on whether the demonization tactics bear more fruit than they have thus far.

The problem with McCain, for the GOP, is the problem we'll have if Clinton were to defy democracy and be selected for the nod:

People just aren't sure they'll be much better than the opposition.

When it's hard for an individual to decipher which candidate they see as the lesser of two evils, they're not likely to vote.

McCain carries a lot of Bush's baggage, and I'm not sure even the best smear campaign will relieve that inheritance.

McCain has a history of conflict with Bush. I'm sure a lot of stuff will get piled on him. But if he plays it well I don't think much will stick.

And yes there is some division in the party as to who people would ideally want as president. With a two party system that's usually the case.

However throwing the election isn't going to help. All you get is a loss.

The place to get your guy into the election is the primaries, they lost. Pretty badly actually.

If you want to see a Ron Paul or Huck as president work for the four or eight years in building support for those kind of candidates, and then try and actually win at the primaries.

The only way McCain is gonna win his party's base and the general is to wisely choose a Veep with solid, known conservative creds and massive general appeal. There is only one person I can think of who has that resume and funnily enough, he is the answer to most skepticism about McCain's domestic policy agenda. McCain/Romney 2008.

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How much does Romney help him in the south, and among evangelicals?

I'd say: not much. If anything, it hurts him.

Funny thing is that most libs think all us elephants are bible thumpers. Fact is Romney will bring scores of voters because he possesses strengths in economic policy, where a good majority of republicans find McCain lacking. And trust this, evangelicals will vote McCain/Romney simply due to the abortion/right to life issue. Romney's mormonism is somewhat of an impediment but the evangelicals would rather see a god-fearing mormon than a baby-killing heathen win the election.

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Maybe...

They certainly have expressed differently in the primaries.

Multiple choice mitt didn't really do it for 'em.

McCain is all over the place on the issue:

"But certainly in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade, which would then force X number of women in America to [undergo] illegal and dangerous operations."


Then again, that was when he was running in 2000.

Who knows what McCain will do.