I think McCain would be considered conservative on things like gun control and right to life, neither of which are minor issues, and also on juducial appointments. McCain sure wouldn’t appoint Ginzberg types.

McCain also believes in a strong military, and he is a hawk on government spending.

On the dark [liberal] side, let’s see: McCain is a bit too much of an internationalist; he still believes in McCain-Fingold; he’s for a more progressive tax system than conservatives would like; and he’s a Kool-Aid drinker on global warming and the ensuing need for government to do something about it. McCain’s greatest flaw [as far as I am concerned] is his support for amnesty for illgal immigration.

I say McCain could be a transitional figure because he could re-orientate the Republican coaliton by “moderating” the party with his above mentioned views.

Please understand, such a re-orientation is not to my liking but I can envision it happening. Also, McCain was NOT my choice for the GOP nomination — Romney was. But what can you do? Mitt lost, and I’m not going to sit by while the likes of BHO or Clinton get elected.

On the bright side, I can see the Democratic Party, as it has been constructed since 1972, being destroyed by the Obama-Clinton civil war. This would be a definite good for the nation and a major defeat for the Left.

The Kommiecrats have had black support up to 94%. Without it its doubtful if they would have won many elections or even been in power at all. Being black may have been a large part of his success, but black racism may be then end of that. The hysteria from the blacks are now Obamas burden. Black Racism is now for all to see and be appalled.

Whats amusing about all this is that MacNasty will lose the Conservative vote and win the election with the rest. Woe be any Conservative when he wins, MacNasty is just nasty…

The many aspects of the man which turn off conservatives [immigration, campaign finance reform, etc] attract Democrats.

If BHO gets the nomination, I could easily envision 10 -20% of Hillary voters either staying home in November or voting for McCain.

McCain could well be a transitional political figure. He could well win in a landslide.

Given my anecdotal experience, I am surprised that there will be more Hillary defectors than Obama defectors.

Like a lot of others, I’ve lately been sampling opinion over on the other side. Regardless of the willingness to support a candidate with ideas as bad as Hillary’s, I have generally found her supporters to be much more reasonable and polite than Obama’s. More to the point of this thread, many of them have been motivated, for obvious reasons, to see through Obama’s aura and mystique, and have come to despise him and his campaign. They know very well what a thoroughgoing hypocritical sham his new politics pose is, and you will never catch them slack-jawed in adulation at an Obamessiah tent meeting. Expectations that they will fall in line anyway and vote for the team may also underestimate the degree to which the Wright affair, black bloc voting, and Obama’s gaming of the system have aroused resentment that some will want to call racist, but that has as much to do with a feeling of having been conned, and of themselves being under a kind of racialist assault. The latter sentiments are associated with the working class, but may over time even seep through the heavily reinforced ideological defenses of the “highly educated.”

The possible exception could be those Jewish liberals who still strongly support Israel; they might be scared enough by Obama’s anti-Israel program and entourage to actually vote for McCain.

Hillary herself would not be above inciting her people behind the scenes to undercut Obama. As has been noted here and there, Obama’s loss in November could give her one more chance in 2012. As long as she could stand at arm’s length from such a sabotage effort, it might succeed.

If the DNC disses Hillary, McCain has a decent shot of even winning NY State and NJ.

Marty Peretz is no longer the bellwether of anything, if he ever was. He may tell you how Upper West Side ultra-libs are rationalizing the Obama fiasco, but in the rest of the city and the tri-state area, I am finding it extremely hard to find more than a few affluent Jews who are sticking to Obama. Quite a large number will either stay at home or vote for McCain.

Senator Clinton is so power mad she probably already went crying to the superdelegates. The Democrats are in trouble no matter which candidate they nominate.

There are many voters who supported Hillary who will not vote for Obama. All of us know people like that, so anecodotal evidence corroborates the national polling here. The key will be to watch the new few primaries and see how well Hillary does. If she wins PA by less than 10%, that would be a bad sign for her. If she wins by more than 10%, she even has a chance of winning NC and IN.

Barring a disaster for McCain, I don’t see how Obama can beat him.