Let's put aside issues, for a moment and look simply at the favorable/unfavorable numbers of the last 8 remaining candidates. Using these numbers, the best match up, from the Democratic standpoint, would have been Edwards vs Romney. That is, in fact, a match up in which a Democratic victory would have been a virtual certainty.
2nd- Edwards vs Giuilliani
3rd- Edwards vs Huckabee
4th- Obama vs Romney
5th- Obama vs Giuiliani
6th- Obama vs Huckabee
7th- Hillary vs Romney
8th- Hillary vs Giuiliani
All of those would also have been likely wins for the Dems.
In the toss up category;
9th- Edwards vs Thompson
10th- Hillary vs Huckabee
and then there are the two match ups that most favor the Republicans;
11th- Edwards vs McCain
12th- Obama vs Thompson
13th- Obama vs McCain
14th- Hillary vs Thompson
15th- Hillary vs McCain
Of the 15 possible match ups, the one that is looking most likely is the match up least likely to produce a Democratic President. I'm not saying it's impossible, mind you, just that it is the least favorable match up, from a Democratic perspective.
Of the 8 candidates, McCain is the only one with a favorable number exceeding 50% and the only one with an unfavorable below 40%. His favorable/unfavorable of +16 is the only one that beats Hillary (-2), Obama (-7) or Edwards (+7). Thompson (0) is the only other Republican that can beat both Hillary and Obama.
No other Republican even bests Hillary (a pretty sad indictment on the state of our party).
It is true that Obama has a higher net unfavorable number than Hillary but that is because he is lesser known. Hillary has the highest gross unfavorable number of any Democrat and her -2 does not compare very well to McCain's +16.
What's more is that both figures are very well known and it is not likely that much can be done to changed fixed perceptions. The fixed perceptions are that the overwhelming majority of people know McCain, and like him while the overwhelming majority of Americans know Hillary, and despise her. Really, how could it be different? There really isn't much to like about the wicked witch.
The raw favorable/unfavorable polling is backed up further by generic, head to head polling and battleground state polling. One recent poll showed Mac besting Hillary by 8 points in Pennsylvania. The bottom line is that, in a McCain vs Hillary race, McCain is the almost certain winner. A Romney vs Hillary contest (or worse yet, Romney vs Obama) gives the White House to the rats.
As much as I despise McCain's idiotic opposition to drilling in Anwar, his stubborn refusal to admit that the efficacy of Supply side economics has moved from economic theory to established fact and his psycho-intellectual blather about how we need comprehensive immigration reform rather than a simple wall, you have to smile at the prospect of the utter humiliation of Hillary the bitch in November.
In one fell swoop, Republicans can achieve;
- A complete, utter repudiation of the Clinton legacy.
- A total vindication of the decision to invade Iraq.
- Driving frothing moonbat BDS sufferers over the edge and (hopefully) to suicide.
Ok, so McCain doesn't like cutting taxes, building walls or torturing terrorists. We can work on persuading him about the value of these things. So, he has bought into the Goreleonic conspiracy nonsense that a single degree rise in 100+ years is cause for alarm. Conservatives in congress will have to railroad his agenda in this area.
Yet, don't you agree with me that your disdain for McCain is outweighed by your loathing of the bed wetting, namby pamby, anti-war candy assed pansies on the left. What could be better than bitch slapping the sniveling cowards back to the Jurassic period?
America is at our best when we are dropping bombs on our enemies rather than issuing sanctions like scared little libtards. With McCain as President, we can continue to say
Yes, we are the world's bully....what are you gonna do about it?
Therefore..........
We absolutely will not tolerate any further opposition to opening Alaska to bring in oil or closing our southern border to bring in illegals.Exactly 1 year from Inauguration day, I, the Mighty SonlitKnight, do formally endorse John McCain for President of the United States. I do not take lightly the weight of this endorsement. Receiving my stamp of approval is, for McCain, a tremendous honor.
Nevertheless, I bestow my trust in you, Senator McCain, to bring victory to our honored party, humiliating defeat to the anti-war enemies of America and unity to our fractured Country.
In endorsing you, I provide this caveat. Do not expect blind support and loyalty from us. We will go to the wall for you when you are right but we will oppose you passionately when you are wrong. We are going to demand of you the fiscal spending discipline that you have promised and we will punish you severely if you attempt to raise our taxes.
As George HW Bush learned, granting you a first term is one thing. Don't piss us off. If you do, you won't have any friends in 2012.
Do not make the mistake, Mr. McCain, of thinking that the positive media favor you have received up to now is likely to continue. Once you are President, or even our nominee, the media will turn on you and attack you with all the venom they can spew.
You are, indeed, the only candidate that can unite our Country but you cannot do so through the likes of Matthews and Olberman because they are enemies of America. Uniting our nation will require speaking to our nation-directly.
This endorsement is based on the assumption that you are going to be willing to move to the sensible right and stop pandering to the left wing. That is what GWB did and his father before him. Both Bushes were unquestionable moderates and it didn't stop the rabid left from hating them all the more. As a Republican President, you will never be able to move left enough to satisfy the left. Don't try. All you will do is anger the Right and the Center.
This is what happened to our current President. Lurching leftward on spending, immigration reform and Environmentalism is what did him in.
Repeat the sins and you will repeat the fate.
Nevertheless, I applaud you for the issues on which you have been strong. Your support for life has been unquestioned and you supported the
surge before it even had a name. Your career has been one of honor, sacrifice
and integrity.
I pledge, today, to do all I can to help make you our 44th President of the United States.
~Sonlit