I am not making any predictions, but I can say that after being at CPAC for three days, which is attended by really hardcore conservatives, McCain should be very worried about support from us. You can't be the party maverick thumbing your nose at conservatives and then expect them to support you in the general election just because you are attracting 31% of the Rep vote prior to yesterday's primaries.
I think just as many conservatives -- i.e., most of us -- will turn out to vote for McCain regardless of whether Obama or Hillary is the nominee.
I don't know what you are basing that statement on or how much you mean by "most." If only 10% or 15% of Reps refuse to vote for McCain, he will be a dead man walking.
Because, you see, most conservatives, being thinking beings, realize the alternative to McCain is far, far worse; and we choose not to let our own personal hissy fits get in the way of our reason, or the good of the nation.
If you are implying that I am not a thinking being or that I am not voting for McCain because I am having a hissy fit, you are wrong. If John McCain can vote on the basis of principle and conscience, so can I.
My issue is amnesty. I believe if passed, the country is finished. Once done, it can't be undone. I have invested a lot of time and effort fighting the passage of amnesty over several years. John McCain has fought us every step of the way including voting for amnesty in 2006 [S. 2611] and 2007. In the McCain-Kennedy bill, McCain and a small cabal of senators met in secret and drafted a bill, bypassed the normal committee process, tried to block all amendments to the bill, and tried to force and up or down vote in just a matter of days. So much for the democratic process.
How can I vote for someone like that, especially if I believe that his position will destroy the country? Why should I be complicit? I will vote, but not for the office of President. I will vote a straight Rep ticket, as always, but I will not vote for President. I just can't do it as a matter of honor and principle.
Let's just say that I'm not IMPLYING anything, sir. You ARE having a hissy fit, and it is interfering with your reason.
On your signature issue, the alternative to McCain is WORSE, whether it's Obama or Clinton. Your "revenge" on McCain ends up being hurting you more than if you behaved like a responsible citizen.