electability doesn’t just mean “looks good on tv” but also “do they have the political capabilities and connections to get the job done?”
What was Rudy thinking for staying in Florida all this time? Why was Fred just asleep until the SC debate where he finally decided to wake up?
Huckabee was probably the most electable behind mcCain because of his decade as governor as well as his grass roots organization. But nobody was a serious match for mccain, a well seasoned pro who would have received the nomination in 2000 if not for the fact that Governor Bush’s last name is...Bush.
I think Huckabee was the “looks good on tv” cadidate. His bizarre policy positions caught up with him among pretty much everyone who isn’t an evangelical.
“What was Rudy thinking staying in Florida all this time?”
Rudy put effort into Iowa and had little to show for it. He put money into New Hampshire, but they love McCain there, and when polls showed him having no traction he moved on. Maybe it was a mistake, and maybe he should have poured money into Michigan. He certainly had more applicable experience there than either McCain or Romney, but he didn’t do it.
I think ultimate Giuliani was a victim of strategic voting in Florida. People who liked him, but didn’t like McCain voted Romney. People who liked Giuliani but didn’t like Romney voted McCain. In each case they did so because they assumed a vote for Giuliani was a waste.
“Why was Fred just asleep until the SC debate where he finally decided to wake up?”
That’s pretty harsh, if probably true. Thompson had detailed position papers supporting real reform, and an across-the-board mainstream conservative voting record. If Republican primary voters had focused on that, instead of on who made the most noise at the debates, Thompson would probably have won the nomination.
Yeah I know a candidate is supposed to run a good campaign to attract voters, and that Thompson (and Giuliani) didn’t, but it still annoys me when all the blame is put on the candidate. It seems to me it’s the responsibility of the voters to find the best candidate, not fall for a flashy message or some lofty rhetoric.
If they wanted a conservative, they should have found one and voted for him, not vote for someone else and blame the conservative for running a poor campaign. Sure Thompson may have run a lousy campaign, but it wasn’t nearly as lousy as Iowa Republicans’ choice of candidate.