Palin costing McCain, Poll Suggests

[dvcgirl]

Basically the article says that McCain may not have won without her, but she certainly cost him a few percentage points at the very least. You have to wonder if Romney or Ridge could have gotten him those few extra points.

McCain has always been a gambler.....looks like this bet didn't pan out.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/02/poll.one.party/index.html

 

[Christine]

I know that Palin was the deciding factor for me and for others I know.

 

[PrincessKitty1]

I've known DH's sister for 22 years , and she's always voted Republican. This year she's voting for Obama. The choice of Palin really scared a lot of people, not just because she will be a breath away from the Presidency, but because her choice made a lot of people question McCain's judgment.

I personally have been wondering since Reagan's presidency if the Republican Party chooses a figurehead they can manipulate for the Presidency. Our current president doesn't seem smart enough to be running the country, and he and Cheney are clearly taking actions almost solely for the profit of themselves and their political connections. McCain's choice of Palin made me wonder if he is just one more figurehead beholden to certain factions of the Republican Party--the religious far-right and the top 1% of the wealth-holders in this country.

 

[spima3]

Well, I've always considered McCain way too liberal for a Republican and decided when he was first nominated, not to vote for him.
Palin has made me reconsider, but with only one day to go, I'm still not not happy with McCain.

Having Obama as the POTUS just doesn't work for me on any level though, so I will probably have to vote McCain.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

Palin may have solidified support for McCain among the base but has cost him support from swing voters such as myself.

I would have gladly voted for McCain had he chosen almost anyone else. Romney, Ridge, Lieberman ... heck, in hindsight I would've rather seen Huckabee and he was my least favorite of the GOP candidates this year.

Truthfully, I wouldn't be surprised if in the future McCain says something to the effect that the neocons pressured him into choosing Palin and threatened to withhold support in some form.

 

[dvcgirl]

Palin may have solidified support for McCain among the base but has cost him support from swing voters such as myself.

I would have gladly voted for McCain had he chosen almost anyone else. Romney, Ridge, Lieberman ... heck, in hindsight I would've rather seen Huckabee and he was my least favorite of the GOP candidates this year.

Truthfully, I wouldn't be surprised if in the future McCain says something to the effect that the neocons pressured him into choosing Palin and threatened to withhold support in some form.

DH and I were just talking about this. I can see McCain ending up like a Lieberman....a man without a party.

The Republican party has some work to do though.....major reorganization to do in order to attract independent and swing voters. Pandering to the christian base ain't cutting it anymore.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

DH and I were just talking about this. I can see McCain ending up like a Lieberman....a man without a party.

The Republican party has some work to do though.....major reorganization to do in order to attract independent and swing voters. Pandering to the christian base ain't cutting it anymore.

The best thing that could come out of this is, IMO, would be a strong centrist third party. One that combines the best of both sides without being dependent on the extremes of either wing. The Libertarians come close to that but tend to be thought of as anarchists or the pro-marijuana party.

 

[okeydokey]

I know it cost him my husband's vote.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

DH and I were just talking about this. I can see McCain ending up like a Lieberman....a man without a party.

The Republican party has some work to do though.....major reorganization to do in order to attract independent and swing voters. Pandering to the christian base ain't cutting it anymore.

Me too. I think McCain will have to look back at his two attempts for the Presidency and see how badly he was mistreated by his own party. To be fair he is just too moderate for the christian base but this is what puts the republican party in such serious trouble right now, it's no longer the party of fiscal conservatives.

 

[AftertheSunset]

Palin actually sealed the deal for me. I think she's awesome. I knew, before her, that I was voting for McCain, but I really like her.

 

[bicker]

I would have gladly voted for McCain had he chosen almost anyone else. ... Ridge, Lieberman ...

Me too. (I had to remove Romney... he was my governor, and the "was" is important. )

Truthfully, I wouldn't be surprised if in the future McCain says something to the effect that the neocons pressured him into choosing Palin and threatened to withhold support in some form.

Quite frankly, I would have a hard time believing him, at this point, if he denied that. I simply cannot that McCain really intended all this.

 

[RickinNYC]

I know that Palin was the deciding factor for me and for others I know.

Yup. Although a liberal and a registered Democrat, I wasn't always this way. In fact, of my group of friends, I was pretty darned conservative up until W when I had to strongly reconsider. McCain, on the other hand, made me sit up and take notice. Then Palin came along and yup, flaming liberal me once again.

As for the tried and true Republicans in my family, all former career military, they'll either vote for Obama or not vote at all, because they can't stomach Palin.

 

[Alaska DogCat]

I thought from the beginning McCain's pick of Palin was ill advised. I could not believe that he actually gained in the polls with this ill advised choice. But, as people got to see Palin as those of us who have seen her over the past decade see her, the polls went down.

The conventional wisdom in politics is to run towards your base in the primary and then run towards the center in the general election. McCain has done the opposite.

If McCain loses, it will be interesting to see the fight for the Republican party. I think Palin represents a wing of the party I could never support. Is the 'big tent' Republican Party dead? Is there room in the party for people like me--fiscal conservatives who don't think the government should invade countries without provocation, interfere in a woman's right to choose or turn over running over government programs to churches without expectation of outcomes?

 

[bicker]

I think the Big Tent Republican Party died in 1976, with Ford's loss to Carter. Reagan snowed many of us into thinking he was leader of a Big Tent, but it wasn't long before it became clear that he wasn't.

 

[moon]

Well, I've always considered McCain way too liberal for a Republican and decided when he was first nominated, not to vote for him.
Palin has made me reconsider, but with only one day to go, I'm still not not happy with McCain.

Having Obama as the POTUS just doesn't work for me on any level though, so I will probably have to vote McCain.

That's the thing. The RW hates hates and/or fears Obama so much that even if McCain wasn't their ideal candidate, they would have voted against Obama.

McCain chose a VP to energize a base that would probably -even while complaining about having to vote for a "lesser evil" - vote for him. He needed a VP to atract independents, and he lost that with Palin.

I don't see idependents impressed with her, and I doubt that support from "the base" will be enough to carry him to victory

 

[yeartolate]

She was an obscure choice.

I don't get the thinking. Obviously they needed the people to get out to vote and be excited about it. Palin only worked for a specific subset.

He should have been more concerned about the undecideds. You do not sway those undecideds with a candidate meant to rally a base. Especially a base that many people think have ruined the Republcan Party. (social conservatism over fiscal conservatism)

 

[Chuck S]

I think the Big Tent Republican Party died in 1976, with Ford's loss to Carter. Reagan snowed many of us into thinking he was leader of a Big Tent, but it wasn't long before it became clear that he wasn't.

I voted for Ford, and Reagan, who was a good Governor for California, but he sure changed when he became President. Perhaps it was the beginning stages of Alzheimer's, or perhaps he was simply overwhelmed, but he just wasn't the same.

I did vote for G.H.W. Bush the first term, then voted for Clinton in 92, I could never vote for G.W. Bush, even for Governor.

Looking back, I see the beginning of fundamental change to the Republican party under Reagan. A change that makes the party far less inclusive, mre willing to be fiscally liberal and socially conservative. The Republican party used to be truly fiscally conservative, and fairly liberal socially...I miss that party.

It's sad to so many voters are too young to remember life before Reagan.

 

[punkin]

That's the thing. The RW hates hates and/or fears Obama so much that even if McCain wasn't their ideal candidate, they would have voted against Obama.

McCain chose a VP to energize a base that would probably -even while complaining about having to vote for a "lesser evil" - vote for him. He needed a VP to atract independents, and he lost that with Palin.

I don't see idependents impressed with her, and I doubt that support from "the base" will be enough to carry him to victory

It is a shame because I was leaning toward voting McCain, but Palin just sticks in my craw. What was McCain thinking? His base will never get him elected without the middle-of-the-roaders like us.

 

[marybet]

I was never going to vote for McCain but the Palin pick just showed such poor judgement. That is when I really started to fear a McCain win. Because of his age the VP pick was so important and he let us all down. I hope she returns to Alaska and we never hear from her again.

 

[rie'smom]

Palin actually sealed the deal for me. I think she's awesome. I knew, before her, that I was voting for McCain, but I really like her.

I agree, she has energized his campaign. Originally, I planned to vote for Hillary but that didn't happen , so I was planning to vote for McCain anyway. His VP choice would not have mattered to me. However, I'm very happy with Sarah.
I have a hard time believing people won't vote for McCain because of Palin. It seems that maybe they weren't sure about McCain and this was a good excuse to switch. Really, I mean they won't vote for McCain because of Palin but they'll vote for the Dem nominee who chose Biden???????