Campaign 2008
McCain and Republican Serendipity
This article makes me glad my primary candidate didn’t win — “GOP Getting Crushed in Polls, Key Races.” It’s pretty sobering reading, even if it comes with a bit of a liberal spin. If trends continue the way they have, Republicans will have lost three “safe” Congressional seats in a row during special elections. At the same time, Republicans have managed to fritter away their first-since-Hoover parity in party registration numbers. The percentage of self-described Republicans is at its lowest point in 16 years. Add in the lackluster fundraising of GOP committees, and this is going to be a very bad year.
Ironically, McCain may be the best hope Republican have of avoiding a complete slaughter. If so, it’s a small recompense for the sheer number of times he’s scored New York Times brownie points at their expense.
It’s extraordinary that in a year as bleak as this, McCain is running even with Obama. If Romney or Huckabee were in his place, I don’t think the election would even be close.
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heh. buck up, me bucko . . . I’m still stuck on Fred Thompson.
In my opinion, Republicans need to go back to the core principles of Reagan. When the GOP ceased to be conservative (as a whole) is when we started losing momentum and Congress. Now we are in danger of losing the presidency to the most liberal senator ever. I think the party faithful has grown weary of compromise on the issues that lie at the bedrock of conservatism. For example, we need to go back to smaller government, less spending, lower taxes, sanctity of life, and other family values that most Americans embrace in “fly over country.” There will never be another Ronald Reagan. However, McCain and the rest of the GOP should study what he has said and written about the America he envisioned. That’s what energized the base and brought Southern Democrats on board.
Barry-
“However, McCain and the rest of the GOP should study what he has said and written about the America he envisioned. That’s what energized the base and brought Southern Democrats on board.”
I think the “vision thing”, as George Bush ‘41 talked about, is a key missing element. Reagan not only discussed policy, as Republicans do today. He had a unified vision of where he wanted to take America. Liberals have that today, but conservatives don’t. And clearly, McCain isn’t going to be articulating a coherent conservative vision anytime soon.
My hope is for us to survive this election and then look to the next generation of conservatives, something on the order of Reagan or the 1994 House Republicans.
That’s true. We could go for another Republican Revolution.