This is the winter of discontent for a lot of voters, particularly
conservative Republicans, who are watching their party rally
around a candidate they cannot accept.
For Sen. John McCain, the alienation of many conservatives
for many reasons -- including anti-war Republicans who had rallied
to Texas Rep. Ron Paul's opposition to the war, and remain concerned
about McCain's commitment to the war -- the challenge will become
reaching into the middle of the American voters' hearts and
pulling enough moderate Republicans, independent voters and
swing-voting Democrats to offset his anemic base of conservative
Republican support. Surely many of those disaffected will vote
in November, but perhaps for a third-party candidate. Or perhaps
many will simply sit it out.
The problem for McCain remains those anti-war Republicans and
those Republicans carting signs around the halls of the Conservative
Action Political Convention in Washington this weekend: "McCain=Amnesty.''
The combined albatross of immigration reform and the war represents
a lot of baggage to carry into a general election in November
in which Democrats will seek a renewed commitment to immigration
reform and promises of ending the war.
(Article continues below)
Even after Republican Mitt Romney had dropped out of the race
this week, people assembled for the CPAC continued voting for
him in the straw-poll conducted there. Three-quarters of the
straw-poll ballots were cast after Romney's announcement at
the convention, according to CPAC. And, among all 1,558 ballots
cast, 34 percent were cast for Romney, 33 percent for McCain,
12 percent for Mike Huckabee and 12 percent for Ron Paul.
Before Romney's withdrawal, 44 percent of the straw ballots
cast at the convention were going his way. After his withdrawal,
32 percent still were going his way. So much for McCain's appeal
to a convention that he had skipped last year, with apologies
for his absence.
There are a lot of voters out there like "Don,'' who weighed
in at the Swamp this morning on the question of where voters
will go once Ron Paul is out of the race:
"The MSM can embrace McCain now, but the victory will
be as ashes in their mouths,'' writes Don. "Now they will
trot out the folks from the conservative PR firm hired by McCain
in order to tell us, if effect, that our choices now are "his
way or the highway". No thanks. I will vote 3rd party or
stay home before being a party to sacrificing more lives to
ill-advised foreign military adventures.''
Or try this contribution tonight, from the reader signed, Idaho:
"Rejected to-do list:
-- Lick a railroad track when its 20 below.
-- Shoot my foot with a 45.
-- Relieve myself on an electric fence.
-- Stick my head under a running lawn mower
-- Vote for McCain.''
