Here's my fear...I think we're under-estimating McCain WHY? because

I think that experience will become a bigger issue down the line and if it's Obama vs McCain in the GE, one terror alert, and I'm afraid that the Indies (leaning Dem or GOP) will drop Obama like a hot potatoe. Whether the terror is fake or not, the probability that this will occur is pretty likely since the GWB/GOP Administration will do anything to win, as we know. I think that the GWB administration might be very motivated to repair the massive damage they've inflicted on their party. We might be underestimating them (incl. Rove) once again and it's a long stretch between March and the GE, anything can happen.

As far as underestimating McCain, according to KO, the GOP leadership is already discussing who would be the most likely candicate to beat the Dems and McCain has come up on several oocasions. They're crunching the numbers and if it's McCain or losing the WH, they'll push through McCain, because he is the most centrist of the bunch, and thus likely to get the most sway-votes. So, despite his views on immigration, and opposition within the GOP party from the extremists, in the end the entire GOP (as they always do) will support him. The fact that he's anti-abortion will be used as the key to(grudgingly) win over the religious right. So there it is! Now some feedback please!

(BTW, on issues, I personally prefer John Edwards.)

P.S. Note that the Rove attacks have begun. Karl Rove writes today that Obama "is often lazy." & this is only the beginning.

thought Thompson would 'catch on'.

They'll do it begrudgingly, and with a sense of the Dole Scenario, but the powers-that-be do not want Huckabilly--he would be the ruination of the GOP. McCain still beats Hillary head-to-head, so he's their best shot, unless Rudy suddenly comes back from the dead.

he pro-choice! There's the key to losing the party!

in 6 months the Alzheimer sets in and hes finished.

Checkmate!

quiet in October. People don't want War Forever.

of weeks. Either there will be no record of him saying it or it will be a misstatement, he didn't really say that.

hopefully the Dems won't let it go down the memory hole. I can't wait until the repub convention, and we see this touching reunion..

different that Bushie boy's swagger.

He gives the appearance of being reasonable, even nice (blech :puke: ).

I think he really is the anointed one, and he knows that, too, that's why he can do the calm "statesman" talk while other R candidates swipe at each other. Of course, that is 100% speculation on my part, so who really knows, right?

But, I don't discount him one bit.

MKJ

in forcing GWB down their throat.

Obama talks like he went to Ivy League, eastern schools. Woops! He did. That' millions of miles away from the reality of people living in Nashville, Tennessee or Columbus, Ohio.

with our keeping troops in Iraq for 100 years or 10,000 years. While that might play fine with the 26%ers the other 74% of the voters might have other thoughts.

I can't see much support for McCain. The GOP will use him as the sacrificial lamb like the did Bob Dole in 1996. They gotta run somebody, even if they know they will lose.

Mz Pip
:dem:

terror "stunt" that margin of 74% may change! That's my point!

especially in an election year, and with the Dems back in control of Congress. I wouldn't put it past them though.

You know, where he said unapologetically how he will always hate those "gooks"?

I'm sure our Asian-American communities will just love to have him as president, huh?

Doncha think?

I'm mostly concerned about the Indies!. Hard-core Dems will probably vote Dem regardless.

we have to consider the points I'm raising.

Just saying.

in a Bob Dole-ish kind of way.

they're all over the place.

McCain may reel in some folks who are registered indy voters, but Obama will bring in people who have never voted before.

are plenty of those. New voters are great, & I hope that huge percentage of young voters will come through, unfortunately the record doesn't say so, but I could be wrong. But new voters could be swayed as well, people can be gulliable (as we know) and we don't what in the pipeline, in the past they've used false reports about Vietnam to boost and justify actions.

There is no way that conservative turnout will be anything like 2004 no matter who the candidate may be. Meanwhile, Democrats have never been hungrier for a win.

Independents want to move beyond Iraq and support someone who was against the "dumb war" from the start. And on domestic issues, we trounce the GOP. Health care and energy prices will be at the forefront, and that's going to help us tremendously.

they're in the center, he is the most centrist of ther GOP bunch. It's the "terror stunt" I'm concerned about... How will the Indies react!

He did revealed a new plan in NH for healthcare
http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071012/NEWS01/710120343
so, apparently NH bought into it.

the repubs aren't dealing with the same economic scenario that they were in 2004. Nobody has the luxury of worrying about potential terror attacks when they're more concerned about keeping up with their mortgages and putting food on the table.

IMO If the repubs run on terror once again, they will lose and badly.

They knew McCain would be our candidate and they put HRC
up as our most experienced.

On issues I prefer Edwards, but.... in the end it's about securing the WH for the Dems first and foremost in my view. Otherwise we'll sit on fence again and we can dream about change all we want.

A "terror stunt" could have a similiar effect, you never know.

into bombing Iraq have been exposed since that time. I don't think the public would be quite as blinded this time around, but you never know.

It will kill him come the GE

They portrayed McCain as unacceptable and labeled him a Traitor/(POW), Crook, husband of a drug addict, fathering a black child, mentally incapacitated, lacking proper christian beliefs, etc., etc. The fundamentalists along with the majority of the GOP/Rove henchmen crucified McCain in 2000. How do they now declare him reborn, well and sane????

They portrayed McCain as unacceptable and labeled him a Traitor/(POW), Crook, husband of a drug addict, fathering a black child, mentally incapacitated, lacking proper christian beliefs, etc., etc. The fundamentalists along with the majority of the GOP/Rove henchmen crucified McCain in 2000. How do they now declare him reborn, well and sane????

Edwards can beat McCain. McCain will be unable to win over Edwards' imagery and evocation of the everyday lives of Americans and the needs that Americans see around them. Edwards talks about the America you and I live in. None of the other candidates can. That's because they all live in D.C. McCain is the worst of the lot. He has lived in D.C. longer than anyone who is running.

Go, Edwards, Go.

of his clients are Dems. He's been convinced for a long time that McCain will be the repuke nominee and that he can win based on experience, his "war hero" persona, and the media meme that he's a "maverick."

When it comes right down to it, he's really all the repukes have this time around, but I wouldn't underestimate his appeal. If he sticks Huckabee on the ticket in the second spot, he's got the fundies covered as well.

If we should have learned anything at all from 2000 and 2004, it's that the repukes know how to "win" (make close enough to steal) elections with flawed candidates. Never underestimate them.

a WWII hero status of Dole can't compete with the Vietman POW status of McCain, plus he's more of a centrist. I think, the latter is much more powerful in most voter's minds, especially since that's also a war gone bad.