But that wasn't the first time McCain tried to win the nomination. He fell into the nomination due to lack of a strong alternative and his "rightness" was questioned often.

 

He was the "establishment" pick in 08. GW Bush (whose conservative credentials were also questioned) was the establishment supported guy in 2000 whereas McCain was the insurgent. Ronald Reagan also ran for the nomination before he won it and he didn't lose the first time because he wasn't conservative enough (he was far more conservative than Gerald Ford).

I had no idea those races were even going on until last night.

 

:lol: :lol:

 

Me either.

 

Makes three of us.

That's what I got from it too.

 

Romney, however, campaigned hard in Colorado and to a lesser degree Minnesota, and the stinging losses cost him any momentum from his two straight victories in Florida and Nevada prior to Tuesday

 

Romney's campaign appeared to consider Colorado its best chance of victory Tuesday. He canceled stops in Minnesota scheduled for Monday to concentrate on Colorado, where he spent caucus night

 

Romney, who won big in the state's 2008 caucuses, has been working Colorado since last summer and arguably has the strongest structure in the state

 

Doesn't change the fact that he put more work in last go around there.

Doesn't change the fact that he put more work in last go around there.

Or that it wasn't a big deal.

Would Rudy be considered establishment-backed?

 

I don't think so. He was almost completely off the radar by the time the primaries started and had to stake his entire campaign on winning Florida. I don't remember if he even made it that far. At any rate, he wasn't getting much "party" support, whereas McCain was endorsed by most of the party leaders.

He was the "establishment" pick in 08. GW Bush (whose conservative credentials were also questioned) was the establishment supported guy in 2000 whereas McCain was the insurgent. Ronald Reagan also ran for the nomination before he won it and he didn't lose the first time because he wasn't conservative enough (he was far more conservative than Gerald Ford).

 

I'm not saying you're wrong on GWB, but I don't recall his conservative credentials being questioned. I didn't follow the political scene as much in those days, but I actually thought he was quickly embraced by the right. But I could be wrong.

 

I do remember when he won his second term as Governor in 1998, his victory speech was covered by a lot of news outlets, simply because it seemed a foregone conclusion that he would be the 2000 GOP nominee. Or at least, that's how I perceived it at the time.

I don't think so. He was almost completely off the radar by the time the primaries started and had to stake his entire campaign on winning Florida. I don't remember if he even made it that far. At any rate, he wasn't getting much "party" support, whereas McCain was endorsed by most of the party leaders.

 

That's probably accurate. He was definitely moderate by GOP standards. I just don't really recall who was embraced by the establishment.

 

I didn't agree with McCain on everything, but I voted for him & believe he would have been an excellent President.

There's certainly a lack of enthusiasm for the candidates. Combine that with the fact that many, maybe most, R's consider Romney's nomination to be inevitable, and I think you get the low turnouts that we're seeing. The challenge will be turning them out in November. I think Obama helps a lot with that. He also suffers from a lack of enthusiasm on his side, certainly compared to where he was 4 years ago.

There's certainly a lack of enthusiasm for the candidates. Combine that with the fact that many, maybe most, R's consider Romney's nomination to be inevitable, and I think you get the low turnouts that we're seeing.

 

Yep

I'm not saying you're wrong on GWB, but I don't recall his conservative credentials being questioned. I didn't follow the political scene as much in those days, but I actually thought he was quickly embraced by the right. But I could be wrong.

 

I do remember when he won his second term as Governor in 1998, his victory speech was covered by a lot of news outlets, simply because it seemed a foregone conclusion that he would be the 2000 GOP nominee. Or at least, that's how I perceived it at the time.

 

This is true. He certainly didn't have the doubts that others have had, but there were some vocal concerns that he would be a lot like his father ("read my lips") and wouldn't hold the line on conservative issues once in office. I think he had to give a few speeches promising he wasn't anything like his dad. But, you're right, he was the overwhelming favorite before he even set foot out of Texas.

Surprising poll numbers I saw today, concerning the state of Ohio in the general election:

 

- Obama leads Romney in Ohio 45%-41%.

- Obama & Santorum are tied at 44% apiece.

 

In Virginia, it's more what I expected:

 

- Obama leads Romney in Virginia 47%-43%

- Obama leads Santorum 49%-41%

 

The President has also climbed back to that all-important 50% range in terms of job approval rating.

Surprising poll numbers I saw today, concerning the state of Ohio in the general election:

 

- Obama leads Romney in Ohio 45%-41%.

- Obama & Santorum are tied at 44% apiece.

 

In Virginia, it's more what I expected:

 

- Obama leads Romney in Virginia 47%-43%

- Obama leads Santorum 49%-41%

 

The President has also climbed back to that all-important 50% range in terms of job approval rating.

 

Which simply re-enforces my believe that the majority of the voting public are complete idiots. :lol:

Surprising poll numbers I saw today, concerning the state of Ohio in the general election:

 

- Obama leads Romney in Ohio 45%-41%.

- Obama & Santorum are tied at 44% apiece.

 

In Virginia, it's more what I expected:

 

- Obama leads Romney in Virginia 47%-43%

- Obama leads Santorum 49%-41%

 

The President has also climbed back to that all-important 50% range in terms of job approval rating.

 

If the economy continues its steady move forward and unemployment continues to drop, this election in the fall becomes another easy win for an incumbent.

Which simply re-enforces my believe that the majority of the voting public are complete idiots. :lol:

 

:lol:

If the economy continues its steady move forward and unemployment continues to drop, this election in the fall becomes another easy win for an incumbent.

 

I agree although I'm not sure I would use the word easy.