So, if OH and other swing states were only won by small margins, our task in winning back the voting populace is very ‘do-able.’ The media will paint this as a giant victory and move to the left, when it is more of just a normal swing of the pendulum. Now the opposition party is in charge, and has to take the blame for everything.
15,000 in NC
26,000 in IN
95,000 in FL
153,000 in CO
156,000 in VA
205,000 in OH
Looking at all the data, I believe McCain/Palin were going to JUST win it if the economic disaster held off a couple of months. That speaks to Obama’s WEAKNESS more than anything else. The polls cratered dramatically and I think two threads pulled loose from which they could not recover.
1) The collapse itself scared the heck out of everyone, but mainly it was the final nail in the mushy middle/RINO vote.
2) The Bailout portion was the final nail in the conservative turnout.
The object lesson in how both of Bush’s “wings” fell off in the last 3 years.
It really is a miracle McCain did as well as he did, which tells me that without those 2, he possibly was on track to win a close one. He was pulling ahead significantly in key states like OH, FL, VA and NC. It would have been close until the crash/bailout.
What that means now is that all hope isn’t lost, but it won’t be easy. Unfortunately, the GOP often learns the WRONG lessons from events like this. Someone will have to come along that can articulate the positions well enough.
I hope we won’t have to wait 8 years like the Dems did with W, and that if there is a mess for Obama, it comes early on. But pushing back in the house and senate may be just as, if not more, important that 2010. Getting ARTICULATE conservatives is key.
It takes someone special to articulate conservative economic thought in coherent sound bites.