The McCain Mutiny

Tony Blankley at the Washington Times comments on the Strange McCain Victory.

It would be the first time in living memory that a Republican presidential nomination went to a candidate who was not merely opposed by a majority of the party, but was actively despised by about a half of its rank-and-file voters across the country —and by many if not most of its congressional officeholders.

Remarkable indeed. There is a groundswell of disdain for McCain among those voters who are the most serious about voting. McCain no doubt thinks that “they’ll get over it” or that they’ll unify behind him in opposition to Hillary - but in truth they’ll be so dispirited that they’ll simply not bother.

What wins campaigns (anybody remember the last two presidential elections) is the small fraction of voters that are very loyal. But for a few hundred staunch conservatives in Florida in 2000, and Al Gore would have been managing the country (and the 9/11 response). But for a few thousand staunch conservatives in Ohio in 2004, and Gore or Kerry would have been managing the country.

Its those extra dedicated, super-loyal conservatives that make the difference.

McCain won’t get them.

McCain also figures Hillary will win. News flash: Hillary won’t win. Obama walks away with the nomination. Hillary is running out of cash, while Obama raises cash like he’s printing it off in his basement. The remaining Democrat primary races favor Obama. Game over.

Here’s the rub: for Hillary there’s nothing but hatred and fear. For Obama, there’s nothing but admiration and love. It will be a young, African-American, good-looking guy against an old, white guy that frankly is not nearly so attractive - and often comes across downright mean.

So, McCain gets the nomination. Obama gets his party’s nod. Obama walks away with the general election in November. What a different race this would have been if it had been an Obama-Romney match up. Two men, tall, handsome, well-spoken, contrasting their ideas.

Blankley comments on what might have been - using my same reasoning:

Consider the recently former very popular, tall, attractive, smart, eloquent, conservative, successful two-term Republican governor of one of our most populous swing states — married to a beautiful Hispanic woman no less. In fact, he is the son of a former president. Unfortunately for him and the party, he is also the brother of the current president. If Jeb Bush’s name were Jeb Smith, the former Florida governor could easily have kept the conservative two-thirds of the Republican vote united and won the nomination. But fate made him a Bush in the only election in the last 20 years when no Bush need apply.

And Blankley concludes with this accurate observation:

Mr. McCain is both the finest war hero since Dwight Eisenhower to run for the presidency, and the one senior Republican who has gleefully put his thumb in the eyes of his fellow Republicans and conservatives for a decade and a half. He is the apostate leader of a party tending towards ossified orthodoxy.

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