Will the GOP eventually bite the bullet and start nominating "moderates?"

[Mint]

The GOP ran the most moderate candidate they could and got massacred. Yeah, that's what the people want. The problem is, people saw McCain and Obama and said, "What the hell is the difference?".

McCain lost mostly because the economy tanked and his VP choice went from a PR master stroke to a disaster. If Palin didn't have the baggage she did and the economy stayed more or less the same as 2007 then there's a decent chance he would have maintained his mid/late August edge in the polls. As it stands 46% of the vote in such an anti-Republican year is pretty remarkable.

[??????????]

He didn't run on the bailout? Could have fooled me. That was the only issue from September 15th till the end. Anyway that was half the problem with McCain, "What did he run on?" His campaign was total garbage, he rolled over like a dead dog to Obama when he should have called Obama out. Kindness killed the McCain campaign.

[??????????]

He didn't run on the bailout? Could have fooled me. That was the only issue from September 15th till the end. Anyway that was half the problem with McCain, "What did he run on?" His campaign was total garbage, he rolled over like a dead dog to Obama when he should have called Obama out. Kindness killed the McCain campaign.

Oh, he didn't run on his conservative credentials in the areas of national security, education reform, energy independence, and tax cuts as his website and campaign speaches detailed?  We're not in disagreement that his campaign was garbage, we're in disagreement on what it was about.

Of course he did but maybe due to the side on which the media was on we never really got to hear about all of that. A lot of times, especially during the debates, I had to sit back and ask myself, "What's the difference between these two guys?"

[??????????]

In the end that's all that matters. If people were really paying attention Obama would have a low 50's approval rating. From where I sit now I hardly see the economy improving in any way. All we have to look forward to is some lagging European style economy, high tax rates and no potential for future growth.

[Mint]

In the end that's all that matters. If people were really paying attention Obama would have a low 50's approval rating. From where I sit now I hardly see the economy improving in any way. All we have to look forward to is some lagging European style economy, high tax rates and no potential for future growth.

Until the mother of all backlashes hits that is. I wouldn't be despairing entirely yet.

[Devilman88]

We did, John McCain, look how that worked out.

[Keystone Phil]

We did, John McCain, look how that worked out.

John McCain is not a moderate. He was, at the very least, center right.

[Rowan]

We did, John McCain, look how that worked out.

Agree. We tried the "moderate" in 2008, and that was an EPIC FAIL.

[Keystone Phil]

We didn't "epic fail" in 2008 because he nominated a "moderate;" we were destroyed because the economy suffered its worst collapse since the 1930s.

[Lunar]

We did, John McCain, look how that worked out.

Agree. We tried the "moderate" in 2008, and that was an EPIC FAIL.

WHY, WHY DIDN'T WE NOMINATE TANCREDO!

[Rob]

DeMint is certainly a social conservative, but he doesn't run around with a holier than thou attitude wearing his morality on his sleeve, does he?

I guess DeMint's "single mothers shouldn't be allowed to teach" position doesn't count.

[King]

We did, John McCain, look how that worked out.

Agree. We tried the "moderate" in 2008, and that was an EPIC FAIL.

I highly doubt a conservative would've come close to McCain's 46% PV and 173 EVs with the Bush incumbency.

[Rowan]

Actually Lunar, I didn't like any of the 2008 candidates, the GOP deserved to lose.

[SamInTheSouth]

DeMint is certainly a social conservative, but he doesn't run around with a holier than thou attitude wearing his morality on his sleeve, does he?

I guess DeMint's "single mothers shouldn't be allowed to teach" position doesn't count.

Find me a politician in Washington that hasn't said something stupid.  Our VP is an expert at it.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

What is Simmons running for?  He got knocked out in 06 and Shays lost in 08.  At least Rell will get re-elected. 

It's a shame Castle from DE never runs for a Senate seat. 

The problem is, the ones in our party that keep losing are us RINOs.  Smith loses, Sununu loses, Chafee loses, Simmons loses, Shays loses, our 2 Rinos from NH lose (forget their names), and Hagel was forced to retirement. 

Meanwhile, idiots like DeMint are untouchable.  Guys like that are the definition of what's wrong with the party than right.

Simmons is running against Chris Dodd and doing remarkably well so far, one poll had him at 50 and leading by double digits. Though an probably an outlier other polls show him leading by 5 to 8 points which is extremely good this far out against an incumbent.

[Lunar]

Actually Lunar, I didn't like any of the 2008 candidates, the GOP deserved to lose.

For all of the bitchin' about McCain supporting the financial bailout, regardless of how you feel about it, if McCain opposed it, Obama would have opposed it as well and he would have done no better.  It'd hard to believe many populists started voting for Obama when they were angry at both candidates for supporting the Wall Street bail out.

I don't remember McCain's campaign campaigning on moderatism at all, for all of your "EPIC FAIL" comments.  He switched from opposing drilling in ANWR to "drill baby drill" on far more sketchy areas than ANWR.  He was more pro-war than any other GOP candidate in the field.  He didn't have evangelism as his schtick, but he didn't rebuke them like he did eight years ago and instead actively sought them out and made one of them his VP.  He rejected his own pro-immigration platform and adopted one counter to his past beliefs and stood by that throughout the election.  I have a hard time believing that just because McCain wasn't the most right-wing candidate available in some respects that he somehow was a moderate and his loss showed that a moderate viewpoint on conservatism, whatever that means, is an, let me quote you, "EPIC FAIL"

[sg0508]

The fact that a lot of people on here can't equate the major drop in polling from Sept on starting with Lehman and the economy is remarkable.  McCain did about as well as possible.

If we had nominated someone from the far far right, Obama easily breaks 400 EVs.

[Vepres]

McCain was the best candidate for this year. The only other GOP candidate whom I believe could have done a comparable job was Romney. His economic credentials would've been a huge asset during the financial crisis. Under certain scenarios, I can envision him doing better than McCain (though not winning). On the other hand, he had his own problems. His religion may have cost him Georgia where McCain held it. His flip flopping on social issues may have hurt him further with the southern base, and lost him credibility with the moderate and libertarian bases in the rest of the the country.

All in all, if it is true (and I'm pretty sure it is) that after the financial meltdown no Republican had any realistic chance at winning, then McCain was the best person to lose, so the GOP wasn't embarrassed by a major Obama landslide (as opposed to the minor one he had this year). 

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

In hindsight, Romney was the best GOP choice for November 2008. He wasn't the best GOP choice in January 2008, though, so he didn't win.

[Vepres]

In hindsight, Romney was the best GOP choice for November 2008. He wasn't the best GOP choice in January 2008, though, so he didn't win.

Maybe, but then you would've eliminated the GOP's best chance (among current likely candidates) to win in 2012.

[SamInTheSouth]

What is Simmons running for?  He got knocked out in 06 and Shays lost in 08.  At least Rell will get re-elected. 

It's a shame Castle from DE never runs for a Senate seat. 

The problem is, the ones in our party that keep losing are us RINOs.  Smith loses, Sununu loses, Chafee loses, Simmons loses, Shays loses, our 2 Rinos from NH lose (forget their names), and Hagel was forced to retirement. 

Meanwhile, idiots like DeMint are untouchable.  Guys like that are the definition of what's wrong with the party than right.

Simmons is running against Chris Dodd and doing remarkably well so far, one poll had him at 50 and leading by double digits. Though an probably an outlier other polls show him leading by 5 to 8 points which is extremely good this far out against an incumbent.

Simmons is a fantastic candidate for that seat.

[SamInTheSouth]

Actually Lunar, I didn't like any of the 2008 candidates, the GOP deserved to lose.

For all of the bitchin' about McCain supporting the financial bailout, regardless of how you feel about it, if McCain opposed it, Obama would have opposed it as well

Based on what evidence?

[SamInTheSouth]

In hindsight, Romney was the best GOP choice for November 2008. He wasn't the best GOP choice in January 2008, though, so he didn't win.

I disagree.  Romney was too inconsistent with where he stood on too many issues.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

In hindsight, Romney was the best GOP choice for November 2008. He wasn't the best GOP choice in January 2008, though, so he didn't win.

Maybe, but then you would've eliminated the GOP's best chance (among current likely candidates) to win in 2012.

Romney would have been a good candidate in 2008 because, at the end of the election campaign, all anyone cared about was the economy. Romney was all about the economy, and actually had real, tangible experience where Obama and McCain clearly had none.

He's wishy-washy as all hell when it comes to social issues, but that would have been largely irrelevant.

And for what it's worth, unless the economy is still in the dumps in Nov. 2012 (God help us if it is), Romney will be a terrible candidate for President that year. He's a niche candidate.

[Lunar]

Actually Lunar, I didn't like any of the 2008 candidates, the GOP deserved to lose.

For all of the bitchin' about McCain supporting the financial bailout, regardless of how you feel about it, if McCain opposed it, Obama would have opposed it as well

Based on what evidence?

Neither would say what their position was until the other came out and said it.

They announced their support in a *joint conference* -- how often does that happen on the issues during a political campaign?  It was a toxic issue among both sides' political bases.