On Tuesday more than 27% of Pennsylvania GOP Primary voters cast a vote against their Republican Presidential nominee John McCain. Pennsylvanians are not alone in rejecting John McCain. Prior to everyone in the Republican presidential field dropping out, when McCain won, he often failed to win Republican majorities in the primaries and caucuses.
In his home state of Arizona, John McCain won the Republican Primary with under 50% - just a plurality. He did the same in California, Washington state, Florida, South Carolina, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri and other states while there still was an actual Republican contest. In nine of the 19 states John McCain lost during the contested GOP primary/caucuses - he was defeated by a candidate that got more than 50% of the Republican vote. After Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul, the remaining GOP challengers dropped out, and there was no longer a GOP “contest,” John McCain won Mississippi, but he lost more than one in five Republican voters. The only other “just McCain” contest, Pennsylvania, was worse. More than one in four Pennsylvanian Republican voters rejected John McCain. Two contests do not make an upward trend of rejection - but in this case they make a statement: Republicans do not like John McCain and many will vote against him even when he’s their party nominee and the only candidate running. That’s quite a statement.
There’s been a lot of wasted ink and pixels about whether Democratic candidate Barack Obama can win in the general election. This focus, while sensational and thus “newsworthy,” is wrong-headed. In today’s New York Times, if you read far enough you’d see on page A22 an article about McCain’s “loss” in Pennsylvania, “A Landslide, with a Caveat.” I would have linked to the story, but I can’t find it online. Apparently wasting pixels on a ‘McCain in real trouble’ story was too much for a New York Times that believes a political “landslide” occurs when one candidate beats no candidate. John McCain’s problem with Republican voters is well known - it’s the “real” story - but apparently it’s not very “newsworthy.” So on with the make-believe stories about Barack Obama and (let’s pretend she’s still in the race) Hillary Clinton. But in November Barack Obama will be facing the “real” McCain - and even among his “must win” presumed base of Republican voters, things look real bad for John McCain.
Comments 8
IN RESPECT,
I DISAGREE. SEN. MC’CAIN AT THIS POINT LOOKS LIKE THE BETTER DEMOCRAT THAN THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE(S)!
-ROBERT JONES
Posted 25 Apr 2008 at 2:10 pm ¶SEE http://www.johnmcain.com for more details of what I mean.
-Regards,
Robert Jones
Posted 25 Apr 2008 at 2:13 pm ¶UPDATED
SEE http://www.johnmcain.com/ for more details of what I mean.
-Regards,
Robert Jones
Posted 25 Apr 2008 at 2:18 pm ¶I lived in AZ with McCain as my Senator for nearly 9 years. He’s not what he appears to be, is much much more conservative than maverick, and tends to be a poor candidate who has spun his continual gaffes into his “maverick” status. He won’t stand up to a consistent attack that highlighs how those gaffes are really more than just “senior moments” and how Charlie Keating is more than just a business associate he exercised “poor judgement” with.
Posted 26 Apr 2008 at 10:35 am ¶McCain doesn’t have Reagan or Obama’s charisma to withstand the criticism he will get in the general election. I keep thinking that McCain will somehow just blow it real soon; he looks as if he’s about to make a political blunder. Obama needs to reinvent himself; he needs to be more decisive in his campaign strategy and speak with more conviction in his positions on the issues in order to convince voters he’s got the substance to be President.
Posted 28 Apr 2008 at 6:41 pm ¶Hi Robert, Michael and Audie,
I recognize your sympathy with McCain, Robert, but I think if you look harder at what he’s proposing you’ll find he’s far to your right on many of the bread and butter issues you care about (although he does share your abortion views and possibly your Iraq views).
Michael, you would know McCain more intimately than I - but my sense of him is more or less what you describe.
Audie, I agree on the charisma count (it’s one of a number of McCain’s failings) - he also just looks tired now (as opposed to his last run). On policy, I think one of the challenges Obama has been facing is that Barack wasn’t prepared to make much of a progressive economic case at a time where it’s become clear that such a case is necessary - it’s something that’s plagued him through much of the campaign (even when he has won). It’s what hurts him with the “blue collar” vote - but I think it’s likely hurting him more than that with voters. Economic anxiety is a big deal now - and really has been for most workers since well before 2000 (there was a brief respite around 1998-1999).
Posted 28 Apr 2008 at 10:24 pm ¶DEAR HIRAM-
I AGREE. I DON’T LIKE HOW HE IS GOING ABOUT THE FARM BILL THAT IS PENDING IN CONGRESS. TURNIING THE BACK ON FARMERS IS WRONG. WE WILL HAVE TO SEE WHAT GOSE DOWN THE ROAD. I WOULDN’T ADVISE THIS.
I AM INTERESTED ON HIS V.P. SPOT. IF HE GOSE WITH A “BUSH BUDDY” HE WILL MOST CERTAIN LOSE VOTERS MAYBE EVEN MIND???
REGARDS,
ROBERT JONES
Posted 30 Apr 2008 at 6:14 pm ¶………….NOT TO SAY ON A GOOD POINT, HE HAS MILITARY EXPERIENCE AND WANT TO WIN THIS WAR AND ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS AT HOME. NO ONE IS EXACT ON ALL THINGS.
-ROBERT JONES
Posted 30 Apr 2008 at 6:17 pm ¶Trackbacks & Pingbacks 1
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