Early Exits: Independents, Again

Keep in mind, McCain is likely drawing most of his support from Blue State Republicans in the early exit polls. Nice how the GOP has so many open, winner take all primaries. Why am I supposed to support that Party down the line, again? There are some great conservatives. But they've punted the Blue States with anything that looks like conservatism. And now they're poised to allow them to pick the nominee, relying on Independents to do it. Yes, The GOP is lost, that's for sure. They're moving in a direction to become Dem-lite.

CONSERVATIVES AND MODERATES

John McCain led among Republicans who call themselves moderates, while Romney led among Republicans who call themselves conservatives. McCain had a small lead among Republicans and a large advantage among independents voting in the Republican primaries.

Geraghty has some info, too.

Comments

[Hope Muntz]

The reason that so many (not merely 'Blue' state) GOP primaries include independent voters like me is simple, and I'm sure you're only just pretending not to know it. It's because registered Republicans are a minority party, only barely more than a third of the general electorate. By encouraging people like me to vote in your primaries and identify strongly with your candidates, you add the numbers needed to win general elections. So far it's worked very well. But if by some miracle the petulance of the party's right wing succeeds in nominating Romney (a Mormon) or Huckabee (an ordained minister), both small-state governors with minimal experience, you will lose and lose badly against either of the deeply flawed Democrat candidates.

There is absolutely no doubt on this score, and whatever the outcome of today's voting, Republican Conservatives need to seriously back away from the ongoing demonization of John McCain, whose help the party would desperately need in a general election. And last I looked Rush Limbaugh is not an actual candidate.

Conservatives online have fallen under the same delusion that the Leftists have--that they are really somehow a national majority. They are not--they are an even tinier minority than their whole party now is. To have any voice in future government, they need to re-form ranks. Demographics do not favor the future 'purity' of the movement, and there is no Ronald Reagan waiting in the wings.

[seekeronos]

This is possible, that we as a nation have shifted significantly to the left... the Donks to the far left, the KosKidz/MoveOn.org types off the scale, and the bulk of the GOP playing to independents (particularly in majority Blue states on the coasts, which are basically throw-away votes in the general election) has swung leftward to occupy the vacant throne of Gerald Ford.

We shall pay dearly for this error, and for not sticking to proven conservative principles for running this nation. In fact, we may be witnessing the first steps of a long, dark slide into socialism from which we will never recover.

Therefore, I repudiate the idea that we must adopt the Left's way of doing business. There is a RIGHT way to do things (no pun intended), and those who stray from it will suffer the ill effects of it.

[ihateleftists]

Moderate must mean almost communist.