The GOP base is not there for John McCain, which is why he will be so beatable, once he has an articulate smart strategic likable opponent who can concentrate on breaking him down.
That's why John McCain is parading around with Joe Lieberman on a leash. They are two of a kind; both pretty much on the outs with their party base. That's why McCain is so willing to embrace the hateful RW Pastors, and is talking about putting extremist Right Wing judges on the Supreme Court (he hopes Democrats are too busy celebrating or licking our wounds from the recent primaries to notice that he made those promises to the GOP base the other day).
So, John McCain has no donors, no GOTV strength, no allies in the extreme RW Media, and no money. He has no charisma, not folks loyal to him to a fault, his speeches stink and he is old!
That's why the Repubs wanted Hillary to win, because she's the only one out of anyone running who could get the Republican base out to the polls. Hillary Clinton is the GOTV Neon Sign advertising to the GOP base. Some Democrats here might not believe that the GOP dislike McCain, and totally detest Hillary Clinton, but they do.
Republicans are simply more ambivalent about Barack Obama, and unlike the conventional wisdom, they are not all a bunch of racists, even if Hillary has been sounding that theme about "white working people" in general.
"I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on.....Sen. Obama's support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me. There's a pattern emerging here"-- Hillary Clinton http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5878299&mesg_id=5878299Obamacon-Leaning
My dad's been a hardcore Republican for decades. I grew up in a Mississippi household that worshipped Reagan in the 80's and despised Clinton in the 90's. I strayed from that pretty early on, but maybe not as far as I thought. I got this email from my dad last night:
"I have to say, Obama is a great speaker. He is extremely charismatic and likeable, and I like him so much I can almost forget he had the most liberal voting record in the Senate, is weak on national security, wants universal healthcare, will raise taxes and is pro choice. Other than that, I could vote for him. All kidding aside, I like him and won't be upset if he beats McCain. Disappointed but not upset."http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/05/obamacon-leanin.html Oh.....AND BY THE WAY....Western Democrats hate Hillary too, which is why if Obama's not the nominee, we will lose congress as well as the Presidency.White Problem? Tell That To Utah, And Most Of The States Obama Has Won
We here in Utah cannot understand this bizarre argument that Obama doesn't capture a "white vote." There are as many black people in my state as there are Clinton voters: nearly none. These facts were on display in our primary results and in the crowd shots from every Jazz home playoff game this year. Besides the fact that the "white vote" argument is offensive and beside the point, it is just plain wrong.
It may be true that Hillary Clinton is the only acceptable candidate to some narrow income group of Caucasians that reside between the Mississipi river and the states bordering the East coast. But, MY GOD, who cares? It is Hillary Clinton's utter lack of ability to be competitive among white voters in Western states that resulted in Obama breaking the proportional allocation system, and making narrow Clinton wins in states that satisfy the Penn/Wolfsson criteria insignificant.
Let me use Utah's example to show you why it is so particulary important to us, most of whom are white, that Obama become our candidate immediately
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All of this brings me to my simple and main point: These people hate Clintons. I do too, but that is irrelevant. There is a reason why our primary had a record turnout, and why Obama absolutely trounced her here. There is a huge and growing number of voters here in the West that is looking for some sign that the Democratic party is ready to be something new. These people aren't particularly happy about voting for another Republican, but they sure as hell know they aren't voting for a Clinton. More than any problem with message or organization, our party suffers here from a stigma and an association with ugly political battles of the past. If we are going to build on what we have here, we have to offer something new. It doesn't even have to be a new message; it just needs to come in a new package. It needs to come in a package that doesn't remind skeptical voters that are upset and ready for a change of anything they despised in the past. We are doing good things here in Utah, and it will get better if we have a real chance to appeal to independents and disaffected Republicans. That will happen with Barack Obama. It will never happen with Hillary Clinton. In fact, I'm afraid a Billary ticket (even in the VP slot) would so inflame the Republican base here that it would threaten my beloved and effective local elected Democrats....more
http://www.thepersonalispolitical.com/2008/05/white-problem-tell-that-to-utah-and.html