McCain no longer rocks in Granite State (Tanking in NH and other states)

http://news.bostonherald.com/editorial/view.bg?articleid=177706

As Mitt, Hillary, Barack and a dozen others jump into the presidential stampede, something interesting is happening in New Hampshire.

For seven years, conventional wisdom has said that the state’s pivotal independent voters would line up behind maverick Sen. John McCain, as they did so famously in the 2000 GOP primary. But new polling data, to be released later this week, will suggest that might no longer be the case.

Manchester, N.H.-based American Research Group finds that McCain’s popularity among New Hampshire’s independent voters has collapsed.

“John McCain is tanking,” says ARG president Dick Bennett. “That’s the big thing . In New Hampshire a year ago he got 49 percent among independent voters. That number’s way down, to 29 percent now.”

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Bennett says ARG is finding a similar trend in other states polled, including early primary battlegrounds like Iowa and Nevada. “We’re finding this everywhere,” he says. The main reason isn’t hard to find: His hawkish stance on the Iraq war, which is tying him ever more closely to an unpopular president. “Independent support for McCain is evaporating because they view him as tied to Bush,” says Bennett.

numbers are steady going up. the problem with McCain the right wing in the rethug party don't like him. Rudy on the other hand is a liberal on social issues but is viewed as a 9 11 hero and supposed to be charismatic to them.

Illegal Immigration: McCain takes the corporate line and is in favor of guest workers. There goes the Lou Dobbs vote.

Christian Right: Despite his recent sucking up to Fundamentalist leaders, McCain has made no inroads here. These people may be waiting for the rapture but they know a phony when they see one and McCain is not nor has he ever been one of them.

Iraq War: McCain has been front and center on the Iraq war both as a critic from the right calling for more troops and from the left, calling for decent treatment of prisoners. He simultaneously pisses off the people who think the war was a big mistake and want out of Iraq and the Rambo wannabes who think that all we have to do is throw of whatever shreds of civilization we have left and go in like some big red white and blue killing machine.

It's interesting that none of them seem to be scrutinizing Guiliani who has more baggage than a cruise ship but maybe that will come later.

McCain and his attempts to get his parties nomination is shooting himself in the foot in the general election. I think it wouldn't be too difficult at all to paint him as a radical right winger for unpopular things like the Iraq war, and to show how he'd be another George W. Bush.

But I have to disagree with you saying that the reason is wrong for McCain's popularity going down. McCain is US Senator who's leading the charge on unpopular issues like the troop surge in Iraq to get his parties nomination. Rudy however is a former mayor of NYC, and currently doesn't hold any political office, let alone a seat in congress. McCain is much more positioned to have his opinions on stuff like the Iraq war be heavily exposed to the people, while Rudy is in a position where he could just lay low and not comment on the issues that'll hurt him for now.

Fundraiser, an exploratory outfit and was asked whether I would support McCain. Uh, no....the reason I expressed was the escalation of troops into Iraq. I said I would consider him (I lied) if he changes his mind. Said I was for Hagel! LOL!

I hope mitt romney can win NH instead of McCain, that will really screw him.

Mitt is from Mass, so i think he has a good shot at NH.