Flipping on NPR this morning I heard, of all people, Rush Limbaugh talking about gearing upfor a republican loss. Further commentary came from California Republican legislature rep Jim Brulte who said he is basically throwing in the towel. As an Obama supporter I don’t have any problem with this happening, however, I’d imagine republican supporters being quite discouraged. Are we [Gov’t] gearing up for a republican fall ahead of time to lessen the impact of the [supposed] inevitable? Or are they trying to rally support from the GOP late in the game? I was looking at polling numbers from this same time in 2004, and Bush and Kerry were basically neck and neck. An analysis of the exit polling shows major discrepancies in pre-election polling. However the descrepancies were attributed to margin of error among other things. Bush basically won by the margin of error shown in the pre-election polling. Obama is polling ahead of the margin of error in many polls and his lead is only continuing to widenin battleground states.
I suppose this is what the republicans are talking about. What do you think?
What I find most interesting in the above is the way Limbaugh is using the word “we” – to mean, apparently, not Americans, not Republicans, but conservatives.
The Republicans are in disarray. (Just in passing, it’s great to see THAT after 8 years of seeing “The Democratic Party is in disarray” in the news)
Palin is striking out on her own trying to lay the groundwork for 2012. McCain is floundering along somewhere in McCainLand, throwing basically whatever he has lying around and hoping it’ll stick. The McCain campaign is pointing to Democratic congressional and Senate likely pickups and warning that we need divided government so vote McCain. The Republican congressional and Senate candidates are pointing at Obama’s standing in the polls and warning that we need divided government so vote for them. The Republicans are claiming that the media is biased against them and marking the more reality-based right-wing pundits for elimination after the 4th because they’ve turned on McCain. The Freepers and RedStaters are sharpening their knives. It’s going to be very, very ugly on the right in just over a week.
Meanwhile, Obama is sailing along acting like there’s not even a headwind, and he’s cutting a wake for the Democratic congressional and Senate candidates to follow.
1 part newsbubble
1 part evangefundie delusionary
1 part pretty person ego
1 part wingnuttery, Alaska-brand (which IS substantively different from warmland (i.e., places where they don’t have six-month nights) wingnuttery)
Mix and store in a cold place. Warning: may cause delusions of adequacy.
She may have a chance at it. She has a very good chance at locking in social conservatives after the election (assuming McCain loses). I was hopping the social conservative movement would be ousted post election and republicans would return to their base, fiscally conservative, smaller government roots and social conservatives would be out in the cold and wither on the vine.
However, I now suspect the split will be rancorous and Palin will lead the charge for the social conservatives keeping them together and fighting for the soul of the Republican party. Could get ugly…
I agree, I think things are definitely going to get ugly. However, something tells me she is not going to be the trailblazer people think. I think when she began this VP stage of her governorship she was cast as a moose in headlights…but I think she really likes the attention. And has jumped on that bandwagon.
Once everything is said and done, and if McCain loses, I think the republicans will be pointing fingers and those wrinkled digits won’t be pointed at McCain, they’ll be pointed at Palin.
I think the conservatives who are giving up are making a big mistake. They’re focusing too much on the Presidential race, which admittedly is probably going to be a Democratic win. But instead of surrendering, they should be working on the more positive message of there being other campaigns that can still be won. People like Limbaugh and Brulte should be telling Republicans to go vote for Republican Senators and Congressmen and Governors and local officials.
That would be insane and demonstrate without a doubt that the Republicans indeed do not put America first. It would be like the Democrats putting up Oprah.
Let Palin run in 2012. Who cares? There aren’t enough Fundie wackos in America to put her anywhere near the presidency. The Republicans are going to have to come to the table with someone moderate, whether they like it or not. Otherwise they’re going to get their hats handed to them again in 2012. If they lose in 2012, and Palin’s the nominiee (which I doubt), if that’s not large enough writing on the wall to force them to exorcise the Religious Right and wrest control of the party from the social conservatives, then they deserve to be wished into the cornfield forever.
Heck, I suspect her split with McCain will be rancorous. His people are already “leaking” crap to the press slamming her, and McCain isn’t exactly known for his even temper. I’m just wondering if we’ll see him melt down before or after the election.
They can’t. It’s too important for such neo-totalitarians to have a strong leader who shares their opinion and promotes their agenda. For them, regaining (say) the Senate but losing the presidency would be no consolation.
I suspect that part of it is that some of the people currently with McCain are trying to start the ball rolling for Romney in 2012 (by then, McCain will almost certainly be written off as too old even if he gets it into his head to try again). That means undercutting the Religious Right faction generally and Palin specifically.
I can’t help thinking the Pubs deliberately served up McCain as a sacrificial lamb, knowing there wasn’t any way they could win this election and hoping to regroup for 2012 after it’s over.