Posted by
Zorro on Monday, February 04, 2008 10:28:16 PM
if McCain wins the nomination. And I mean metaphorical blood. A McCain win with Huckabee participating as a spoiler will rend the conservative coalition in three parts, all of them angry at each other (particularly the losing parts). Of course the pundits will try to rally conservatives behind McCain, but it will be useless. Turnout among conservatives will be depressed in the general election and the Democrats and many of the independents who voted for McCain in the primary will abandon him. He’ll lose by a landslide. Republicans will lose both the Senate and the House for a Democratic monopoly. All of this will only increase rancor among conservatives.
If they were logical, they’d pull together and defeat the Democrats in the general election, but a McCain victory over Romney, and an Obama victory over hillary will demonstrate that Americans on both sides aren’t voting with their minds, but with their hearts. While logic would inspire conservatives to rally behind McCain, emotion will drive them to only recriminations and anger.
This was conservatives’ last chance. For demographic reasons I outline in the previous post, conservatism is doomed on the 40-year scale. The only chance was for a really good conservative leader to be elected and make a Reaganesque impression on the country that would delay the liberal fate. If Romney is defeated tomorrow, that will not happen, and tomorrow will live in infamy as a monumental defeat for conservatism.