McCain is surging. He's going to likely be the Republican nominee. You think Hillary can beat him?

I've read just today McCain's donations are up 500% this week; he's surging in Iowa; he's now #2 in NH, etc., etc., etc.

I'm convinced it's going to be McCain. I'm also convinced if we nominate Hillary Clinton, we will lose.

McCain's strength is as a "maverick," and "outsider," and "independent" of sorts. That's what Americans want. Of all the Democrats, Obama is perceived as the most independent, less of a career politician, and most honest. That's what Americans want.

American wants Obama and McCain. Look at the new Zogby polls showing Obama's overwhelming lead among independents and how he trounces McCain. Hillary will lose to McCain if she is the nominee because she is literally his polar opposite...divisive, career politician, calculating, partisan, etc., etc., etc.

Please, help save the Democratic Party from another Presidential loss and support Obama for the Presidency. Or, at the very least, support another candidate who will not be perceived as partisan and divisive as Hillary. She will not stand a chance against McCain, who now has the momentum to become the nominee in a country tired of "politics as usual."

I implore you. I implore all Democrats and all Americans. Think about the importance of this election, please.

I've maintained this from the beginning, and their accomplishment of a 2nd or 3rd place finish in Iowa is exhibit "A" on their prowess.

and he's not perceived as the "independent" or "maverick" that he used to be. A few years ago, some Democrats I knew said they'd consider voting for McCain. Now, not so much.

Also, your "what America wants" stuff is really presumptive. After all, you're the one who seemed to want Hillary Clinton a couple of months ago.

She's perceived as partisan, and that's not what Americans want.

The polls show what Americans want...no career politicians, change, honesty, a new direction, a new kind of politics, etc. There is nothing presumptive about it.

Who I was supporting a couple of months ago is irrelevant. I implore you and other Clinton supporters to consider the thin ice her nomination would place the Democratic Party on. Please.

As for Obama's "new kind of politics" rhetoric (which seems rather empty, IMO, considering he hasn't quite described or shown what this new politics would be. Except that it involves "hope."), he's not going to win on that alone, because McCain's got an awful lot of experience to contrast with that (and a lot of people see experience as a good thing). Also, I don't believe that he's going to present much more "change" than Hillary is, since their positions on the issues are very similar. And, to get technical about it, he's more of a career politician than she is.

I think that an Obama nomination would place the Democratic Party on much thinner ice than a Clinton nomination would.

Also, IMO, your candidate switching continues to be relevant, because I have no idea if you believe what your posting, since it's likely to change to the complete opposite position any day now. Supporting Hillary one day and then imploring us not to vote for her the next is, well, kind of humorous.

That last paragraph is unadulterated bullshit.

Let me explain something to you: when people make up stuff about me it pisses me off!

Changing my mind once, after only supporting that woman for two weeks is NOT the same as what you are implying!

And FYI, MOST voters change their minds. Why haven't you?

and I don't think that most voters go from ardently supporting and pushing one person ("that woman" as you call her") one day to doing their best to drag them down the next - and with such zeal.

And you changed your mind twice, right. First you were supporting Obama, then Clinton, then Obama again. Two changes. But calm down, there's no need to shout. Deep breaths.

That was a mistake and that is all there is to it, no more.

I don't think so.
Hillary is among the tiny number of Dems who lose a head to head matchup with McCain in national polling.

I think that's a bad bad starting place.

Please please please please please

The past few years have weakened him - politically, and seemingly physically and mentally as well. I think most of the Dems could probably beat him.

they savage whomever the Dem candidate is.

I think any democrat can beat him. I don't even see him getting the nomination, the evangelicals and bushistas all hate him. The vulgar pig-boy and all the repuke talking heads hate him, his repuke colleagues in the senate think he is an asshole. Tweety has about 20 viewers who care what he thinks when he slobbers over McCain or the manly Fred Thompson or what ever other Puke is the object of his homo erotic fantasies of the day.

Also, Hillary's more than just a former First Lady, but I'll let that one go.

Only Biden can beat McCain. That is why we will see McCain as the repug candidate. If the dems can't see this, we screw the pooch in this election.

~

Unforseen events can and will happen. But why handicap ourselves with Clinton? This election is too important.

COmpletely unproven, unexperienCed,nAive. "present" votINg wild card. That would bE smarter.

the RW hates him. He has no chance whatsoever.

Honestly.

and it's still a top down party. Remember SC in 2000? Don't think for a minute they wouldn't torpedo McCain again. The bush team is also on board with Romney. He's got the same guys working for him now in SC as bushco did 8 years ago.

McCain's odds are lower than Mitt's and Rudy's, but close to Huckabee's.
Remember when everyone thought Rudy would be it?
Remember when everyone thought Thompson would be it?
Remember when everyone thought Huckabee would be it?
McCain is the new flavor of the week, and will go down like the rest of them.
Through it all, Mitt and his $$$ have had solid numbers in all the early states and nationally. I still think it will be Mitt.

They might stay home out of pique. Unless Hillary is the nominee, then they'll be renting the buses again.

He's not a favorite with the RWers and, while in the past, he could have gotten a significant amount of the Independent vote, his pandering to Bush killed that.

McCain EARNED this.

He SOLD HIS SOUL.

I, too, think he will be the eventual nominee.

Process of elimination.

He's not going anywhere.

I don't think he can beat McCain. I sure as hell don't think Hillary can beat any of the top repubs. Out of the crop we have to choose from if I had to choose one to go against McCain I would pick Edwards b/c his message would resonate w/ the party and he could possibly pick up the "Lou Dobbs" types. Edwards and Biden are my top 2nd choices. If McCain isn't the rebub nominee I go w/ Obama all the way.

republicans that the only way we could loose is if the American people are lied to (media) or if the election is stolen. (again)

nt

He'll go down in flames in SC.

If he gets the nomination, it could be a close race. A lot depends on where the independents go in Iowa and New Hampshire. I think that that is very fluid; I see them going back and forth between Obama and McCain. If McCain does get the nomination, where he is vulnerable is on foreign policy. His cowboy mentality could get us into another Iraq, possibly with Iran. Most Americans still think the Iraq war was a mistake.

Of course, a candidate like Hillary would be most ineffective against him. Not only do current polls reflect this, but so does common sense. She will be labeled a flip-flopper because she voted for the war, whereas McCain will come across as willing to take a stand regardless of the poltical consequences. What we need is a candidate who took a clear stand against the war from the beginning (such as Obama) to counteract that.

country club branch of the republican party. To those people either hillary or obama would be preferable, since both are pretty middle of the road. When Huck starts telling the public that he has the endorsement of jesus, he might actually alienate some part of the public that does not want a theocracy. and as the huckseter gets more scrutiny, his personal hypocrisies and corruption will be more obvious. The irony is if the anti-mormon huck is the nominee, Utah could actually go for Hillary or Obama.

Although FWIW I do not believe McCain will be the nominee.

...an expert on many issues, and very competent. He is the very opposite of "green" and "untested" in the public mind. I am not convinced that a first term U.S. Senator is our wisest choice to pit against him. Mine is a subjective read, as is yours, but there is more than one way to look at this. America knows that if we elect Hillary Clinton then her husband, the last popular two term U.S. President, will be close at hand in the White House, making for a very seasoned leadership team to undercut an advantage that McCain might otherwise have.

Unfortunately, a lot of people percieve him that way because of his previous campaign for POTUS. Most people don't pay attention beyond that, and don't see his actions that show him to NOT be those things. I used to like him (back then), but I lost respect for him as soon as he caved to bush, which he has continued to do.

And I'm a Kucinich supporter.

the head-to-head polls. The MSM keeps forgetting that :(

I personally think Biden is the most electable candidate in the general election, Hillary by far the weakest.

Have a little faith she's a clinton after all.

is if the Repukes nominate the Huckster; the Utah Mormons would have to refuse to support him for all the damage he's done to their religion by dragging their boy Mittens through the mud.

there are too many right-wingers who are way too mad at him over illegal immigration. Also, I've been talking to a few Rethug-voting co-workers who abhor Hillary, and would vote for ANYONE but her who the Rethugs run, but they seem sort of soft about Obama. They think he at least listens to what the other side has to say, and while they'd never vote for him, my impression is that he'd get a 'honeymoon' of sorts from them. On the other hand, they will be writing to Repuke congressmen to get Hillary impeached the day after the election.

If we have a chance of making them see something other than the same-old same-old right wing 'savior' (please hope that Huck doesn't get the nomination) then we need to make a break from the string of Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton. Edwards would be fine by me, but I really think that Obama has a chance to unify this country under a progressive leadership.

So you're begging for nothing.

We need someone who can win against any Repuke, now that they're down.

I'm an avowed Hill-hater and proud of it. But McCain vs Hillary? She would absolutely mop the floor with him. There was a time, before President Pretzel, when I had a grudging respect for McCain. He always came off as the more moderate psycho in the loony bin of reps, and he didn't always tow the party line.

That guy died years ago and nobody told him. They swiftboated him and he knelt down and put a big sloppy kiss on Bush's ass for all to see. I can't see him getting much play in moderateville or freeperville because most people probably still vomit a little bit of their dinner up into the backs of their throats when they think of it. I had Ellios pizza before and it wasn't any better the 2nd time I tasted it when I thought of the spectacle. I also thought of the film Eraserhead. Go figure.

Even a crazy eyed leftie like me, who wants nothing better than to show my corrupt party how tired I am of the corporate poison by voting for anyone but Hillary, would rather slam my dick in a door than be caught pulling a lever for the undead.

Besides, isn't he going to be like 105 at the end of his first term?

beat. It will not be easy but there is a possibility she can pull out
a win.

Edwards beats McCain. Edwards will have a struggle becoming our nominee.
This is not fair.

or what are the pubs smoking. lol! he's weaker than that crook rudy. let him run . he's aa crackpot.

I think Edwards or Obama could take him tho

Even if I didn't support Joe Biden, that would be my response. The repugs are not stupid. They will jettison all the losers who Clinton, Obama or Edwards could beat (i.e., ALL of the other repug candidates). Seriously, any of the dem candidates can beat Schmukabee, Ghouliannie, or mittens. NONE of the dem candidates, SAVE BIDEN, stands a chance against McCain. I just pray Joe isn't knocked out of the race for the nomination before the dems and progressives become aware of the obvious...that McCain WILL BE the repug candidate.

that Biden can beat McCain is because they were lock step on their criticism of the Administration's handling of the war for a good long time. It was Biden and McCain that first called for more troops. If Bush had listened to them AND the Commanders on the ground back in late 2003/early 2004 we wouldn't be in this mess now. Both Biden and McCain would make strong Commander's in Chief. But, they differ greatly in their perceptions on how to now rectify the situation. McCain would eat Hillary alive. I am a Democrat through and through, but in all honesty, I think that I would trust John McCain with my husband's life and limbs (he's deployed to Iraq now) more than I would trust Hillary. If it came down to the two of them, I'd have serious problems trying to choose, because obviously, the role of President as Commander in Chief is paramount to my family. I recognize that this factor will not affect everyone the way that it affects me, but I know at least 4 or 5 other people who are either military dependents or relatives of those serving that would vote for McCain over Hillary in a heartbeat. These same people, however, would mark Biden on their ballots without hesitation. That vote would be a no brainer.

Iraq is at or near the number one issue today. McCain could really turn this issue on Hillary. McCain has always supported the war. He could make mincemeat of Hillary voting for the war, voting against all the amendments to the IWR, and later saying she is against it. He would brand her a flip flopper, and of bending her views to fit the polls...whereas McCain supported the war even when it was unpopular. This would smack Hillary in the kisser. It would paint her a political opportunist who would play politics with foreign policy and the lives of our soldiers. Game. Set. Match. Give McCain a likeable VP like Huckleberry...and the condescending Hillary would be toast.

Heck, regardless of the Rep candidate, about half of Americans would NEVER vote for Hillary! How can she win? She could change their minds, but she is so familiar, I am afraid peoples' minds are already made up about Hillary.

Recent Zogby poll (telephone, not internet) backs up an earlier poll showing Hillary losing to all the Rep challengers.

And I have not even pointed out how easy it would be to swift boat someone who already has been swiftboated.

That will be an issue for McCain. He's not just FOR the war, he has visible orgasms over it.

He would counter that she is just changing her views for political gain...plus Hillary has said she wants to leave a residual force in Iraq anyhow. McCain would argue he stood by the president even when unpopular....and he would be able turn the whole thing around to attacking Hillary for flip flopping if she attacked him on Iraq. Obama, on the other hand, is not handicapped by voting for the war, so he could to for McCain's jugular on the issue and bring it up at every opportunity. Nominate Hillary, we lose the number one issue from our playbook, Iraq.

He's at 9%.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jAGHaxw5TBx-E3aQxG_9bHEw3JyAD8TL9ABO1

Once they hear through endless media repetition that McCain is surging in Iowa, he'll start to surge in Iowa.

edit to add--that's what happened in NH, Rudy went down a couple points, McCain went up a couple points, and all of a sudden it was a SURGE that became fact through a media blitz.

Like that?

Edwards is a fighter!

then a much better picture will emerge. My prediction Edwards in Iowa, with hill and obama close. and Hillary in NH. NC tossup between Edwards and Hill. Wild ass guess, but surely no worse than the beltway pundits.

Regardless, it wouldn't change my vote.

that John McCain would be the Repub nominee because people would come to their senses. The same goes for Biden.

=P

due to the experience factor.

As the big primary states (with the delegate motherlodes) roll up right after these smaller contests, television ads and media dollars will be required. As George Harrison said, "it's going take a lot of money". Rudy has money. Mitt has money. John doesn't have squat and it will be too late to raise enough for those contests.

McCain may do well in New Hampshire, but it won't carry the day for him. He's broke.