What if the Republicans pull the plug and run no one, in order to save their war chest for 2012?

[Rabrrrrrr]

If McCain really has no chance - and he doesn't seem to - what if the Republicans just pull the plug and run no one this time, leaving them with a few tens, maybe hundreds, of millions of dollars and four more years to fundraise for 2012? Or even use some of the saved money from not having a presidential run to use in congressional and senatorial races.

It would be a brilliant ploy on their part - big save in money, PLUS they'd be able to say for the next four years, "Obama is president only because no else ran - he has no mandate, he has nothing".

Make it so that the first black president of the united states got there only by being alone in the running, thus putting a seeming stamp of illegitimacy on his presidency.

[ScreamingMeemie]

1. .

;) :hug: :loveya: miss you.,

Oh crap, now I have to edit.

[Deep13]

2. The R.s always have a chance.

They have certain built in advantages such as the overrepresentation of conservative voters in those big, square states. Plus they seem to "own" many of the symbolic "values" issues. On the other hand, D.s have been known to lose 49 states to one. Either we win by a simple majority or lose by one.

If they don't run anyone, then the bizzillions of $$$ Obama has raised can be distributed at his discretion to other candidates. No, they must put up a candidate just to prevent that.

[Rabrrrrrr]

4. Good point - the Democrats are never so far ahead and impossible to beat that they can't fuck it up.

It is one thing we're definitely good at.

:-)

I didn't think it was at all plausible that they wouldn't run anyone, but I hadn't thought that it would also allow the Dems to save their money as well.

I do think it quite plausible, though, that the Republicans will short-change McCain's campaign to spend more money on the other races.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

5. I think that's essentially what happened with Dole. I don't recall a lot of >>>

soft money from the party being thrown around.

[mainegreen]

3. If you don't run someone, how do you raise funds? R's sell their votes to raise funds.

No R is going to buy a vote from a candidate that doesn't exist.

[Orsino]

6. You'd think that their followers would feel betrayed...

...but I guess we're talking about the people still supporting the GOP after seven years of */Cheney. These would be the people rich enough to benefit from Republican rule, or ignorant enough to vote for it, anyway.

[northzax]

7. they are

have you met John McCain?

[RainDog]

8. Down ticket

not just a prez race. they have to get ppl out to at least vote down the ticket for congress, etc.

I WISH they would roll up the carpet and go home. Imagine a super majority in the legislature, where the right wing consists of southern democrats and that Lie-berman guy as an independent.

[Forkboy]

9. I thought that was what they were already doing.

:)

I've read that they pretty much did this same thing in '76, knowing they would lose but be much stronger by '80. I don't know how true that is, but it's certainly plausible.

[KamaAina]

10. Or they could run Alan Keyes

like they did when Ryan crashed out of the IL senate race.

Then again, that's pretty much the same thing as running no one, isn't it?

:rofl:

[Oeditpus Rex]

11. More importantly

what if my ass turns into a carload of weasels?

[Rabrrrrrr]

12. If that happened, I'd hope the elastic on your undies was structurally viable for containment.

:P

[Rabrrrrrr]

13. You know, I don't feel like checking, but I bet one or more of the other sites think I'm serious.

I'm sure they've been debating all day about my ignorance, and laughing at us.

I remember one time I posted something totally outrageous, about "Hey - let's all secretly do such and such" and the "such and such" was completely implausible (can't remember what it was), but one of those freeper sites had a very long thread about my stupidity for trying to set up something secretly by announcing it publicly on a thread. Fuckers took it entirely seriously, it was hilarious! :eyes:

But I don't feel like looking to see if I've been quoted anywhere with this thread.

[petronius]

14. The Dems would self-destruct in that case

Without the control rod of a general election in the future and the presence of a common enemy, the Obama and Clinton partisans would probably start shooting at each other. (I'm only half-way joking...)