Seems it's Mr McCain that is have party unity issues. via TPM -- Poll: Dems Satisfied With Obama As Nominee -- And Republicans Aren't With McCain A new number from the latest Hotline/Diageo poll goes a long way toward dispelling the idea that Barack Obama is leading a seriously divided party. On the contrary, the poll suggests that it's John McCain who has a problem in this regard. The poll, conducted in the wake of Obama's clinching the nomination and including sampling dates from before Hillary Clinton's final concession, found that 68% of Democratic primary voters were satisfied with Obama as the nominee, with 30% preferring someone else. By contrast, only 52% of Republican primary voters were satisfied with John McCain as their nominee, with 45% preferring someone else. And this is despite the fact that McCain sewed up his nomination months ago, while Democratic emotions were still raw when this poll was conducted. the Poll
I've been saying for a while that McCain's performance since clinching the nomination has been awful, pretty much in every sense of the word. He should be much further along in pulling his party together and establishing a campaign agenda. Seems like he was wasting his time and waiting on Obama instead. 52% satisfaction sounds too low. Even if true, Republicans will vote for him in November. In their current situation, the GOP will not have unity problems this election. AFTER the election will be another story. I think there will be a major battle for the direction of their party and it could get ugly.
The difference is this: Republicans aren't satisfied with McCain, but will vote for him because the alternative is an inexperienced candidate with extreme policy positions and a racist, anti-American inner circle. Furthermore, the very reasons that Republicans aren't satisfied with McCain are the same reasons that make Independents more likely to vote for him. Democrats on the other hand, are divided because the Hillary supporters feel like Obama sent them to the back of the bus, disrespected their candidate, and did so in a sexist, bullying way. Many Hillary supporters will vote for McCain because of it. None of the dissatisfied right wingers are going to be voting for Obama because of their dissatisfaction. Two totally different dynamics in play here.
wow I actually agree with T_J RNC dislikes Mc cause he is to liberal, they are not going to cross the lines to go FURTHER liberal.
ummm no, independents number one issue will be ending this war, if not #2 behind the economy, which neither candidate has strong support on at this point.
Interesting news on Virginia and New Mexico, one a state Obama hopes to do well in and the other a classic swing state... That means less money and advertising and organization in the two states for the GOP. It also means Dems have a huge advantage in motivation and probably turnout. This could affect the Presidential race and others down the ballot. Speaking of Virginia... and speaking of enthusiasm... I bet two of those 17 are Virginia and New Mexico.
This is what has me greatly worried about Dem prospects. Thankfully, there are not many Jews in New York or women in California, so Obama's base is secure for now.
Well, I'm sure that's what McCain is thinking. But it's a dangerous gamble on his part. Conservative voters(note I said conservative, not Republican) will stay home if they're not happy with their candidate. It happened in 2006, and it could easily happen again this November. If that's how it plays out, then McCain will lose in a landslide. He needs to solidify the conservative base while attracting independents. Despite what some may think, this is not that difficult. The key is appealing to them on issues like energy costs, national security, and immigration. Those are issues where a lot of Americans have common ground and aren't divided along party lines(as opposed to topics like abortion or taxes). The problem is this is where McCain sounds like a liberal. He was major proponent of the amnesty bill which 80% of the country opposes. It sounds like he's come around at least on securing the border, but most conservatives have a hard time trusting him on this issue. Energy policy is another negative. He keeps flip-flopping on drilling and nuclear power. So no one knows where he stands on this one either. It doesn't help matters that he's out there supporting the cap-and-trade nonsense that Congress is pushing along with blaming "Big Oil" for high gas prices instead of supply vs. demand which is the real culprit. National security is his one strength with conservatives, but it's also a dangerous subject for him when trying to woo independents because of the war in Iraq. The key here is to stress the success of the surge and point out how Obama refuses to acknowledge that it's working. That'll make Obama seem out-of-touch or just plain ignorant, which will play up the inexperience factor. McCain can win this election, and it doesn't have to be that difficult. But he's never gonna do it running as a liberal Republican. That leaves him in no man's land. Obama is even more liberal, so the left-wingers will simply vote for him. Independents will at best be split, and that's being very optimistic. And while some conservatives will vote for McCain as the lesser of two evils, many will stay home and hope that the GOP offers up a better candidate in 4 years.
If Obama's polling trends stronger and the election is not really in doubt, what are the chances of Ron Paul running as a third party candidate? Or some one who is really really conservative? I'm just thinking the Conservative Christian Right might rather promote their ideology rather than go down with a guy they don't agree that much anyway. It could be some payback for their abuse and abandonment by the GOP. I of course would love to see it because a 52%, 40%, 8% mandate is stronger than a 52% 48% one.
Apparently Mr. Powell holds no aspirations for public life but if I were Mr. Obama I would certainly try to bring him aboard, trading his support for a position as a trusted advisor at-large.
Trader_Jorge is CF's version of Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh. I don't have to turn on the Radio I can just read TJ posts Obama 08' 4 President!!!!
