Can a moderate Republican win a Presidential Election?

[Quixote1818]

The more I think about it someone like Rudy or McCain might have a hard time winning because the Religious Right would stay home. They would have to put gay marriage type wedge issues in all the key states to get the nut cases to the polls.

Then again if you put Hillary up their she might just energize them to come out anyway. I don't think Hillary is any more polarizing than a lot of people but I will say that she would energize the Republican base.


Just something that popped into my mind just now. What do you think?

[Bok_Tukalo]

1. They couldn't get the nomination

but if Snowe or Collins did, I could vote for them.

[smartvoter]

10. Exactly. Look at McCain. He was the easy national fav in 2000. nt

[Pirate Smile]

2. The real question is Can they win the Republican nomination? I don't

think so.

[xray s]

3. Presidential election-yes, Republican nomination-no

[charlyvi]

4. No.

I don't think a moderate could win (repub). Especially after tonight. Shrub barely squeaked by with the fundie vote; without it I don't think a repub could win, unless he/she could siphon off democratic votes. If Hillary runs, it's a whole other ballgame. I don't think Hillary can win; but, I would be happily surprised if she did.

[Kingofalldems]

5. You gotta win primaries first

And a moderate repug cannot win primaries, especially in the south.

[Pushed To The Left]

6. General election: Yes. Primary: Maybe n/t

[Inland]

7. They've been extinct for many years.

Might as well ask if a Whig or a dodo bird could win.

[tsuki]

8. Ya'll wait. Newt is running, and he has already taken out three of the

opposition. John "Keating Five" McCain, Tom "Backstabber" DeLay and "Cat Killer" Frist. Do you really think he can't take the primaries?

[saltpoint]

9. Good question. If McCain is nominated, the press will paint him --

-- as a moderate, although his voting record is far-right.

But the fundies hate his guts. So they either stay home, hold their nose and support him, or get some twisted freak like Sam Brownback to mount a third-party campaign.

If McCain wins, the fundies will look back to this night, when Frist lost the filibuster battle.

And in that scenario, the GOP vote is split across the South and West and Democrats waltz in to the White House.