Redstate

By The Bij Comments (3) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

Cross-posted at Race 4 2008.

After Tuesday’s bloodbath, it really isn’t surprising that we have stories like these appearing Wednesday:

Sen. John McCain emerged from yesterday’s elections as one of Republicans’ only winners as Democrats made solid gains and both parties turn an eye toward 2008.

The Arizona Republican, who wasn’t up for re-election, rallied to the side of Republican candidates at 131 events — a strong showing that displayed his rising popularity. His strength was underscored Monday when Charlie Crist, Florida’s new Republican governor, chose to skip a scheduled rally with President Bush for an event with Mr. McCain.

“There’s going to be a batch of people who are going to personally owe McCain and there’s going to be another batch of people who are going to have to rethink their view of him,” said Michael McKenna, a Republican strategist and pollster.

“He was a pretty solid party stalwart this go around, in a cycle when it was not easy to be a party stalwart.”

As both parties took stock of wins and losses last night, the soul-searching began for Republicans, while Democrats will now focus on capitalizing on their gains.

“All of us Republicans are going to sit down together and listen to the voters, get the message from tonight, and we’re going to shape not a new agenda but a return to the principles and philosophy of what we stand for and believe in,” Mr. McCain said on Fox News last night.

McCain’s stock did literally rise Wednesday, with McCain 2008 contracts climbing to the 57-59 range on Tradesports.

Scott Rasmussen’s first post-midterm 2008 poll may show something different happening however.

Yesterday’s results show Rudy in the lead with 24%, Condi Rice in 2nd with 18%, and McCain in 3rd with 17%. Since Dr. Rice is not a candidate for president, including her blurs some of the insight we gained in this poll. But Rasmussen did note that half of Dr. Rice’s supporters list Rudy as their second choice.

The results of this poll show me that something entirely different may be happening than what is proposed in the Washington Times article mentioned above; for I cannot remember the last time John McCain came in 3rd place in a scientific poll. Sure, he never comes in higher than third in polls from events like CPAC or the SRLC (the Iowa State Fair Poll is a notable exception), but third place in a Rasmmussen poll? What if your average Republican has come to a different conclusion regarding the direction in which the party should head?

Polling of Tuesday voters reveal the depth to which the Republican Party has fallen, even in the minds of it’s own members. The majority of voters identified the Democrat Party as the own they trust to control spending, balance the budget, and fight corruption. I have even read reports that as many as 15% of Virginia Republicans crossed party lines to vote for Webb. When the American electorate views your party as antithetical to the very principles in which it exists to enact, going moderate is not the answer.

Conservatism wins elections in the United States. There are still 2 Americans that identify themselves as conservative for every one that calls himself/herself a liberal. The Democrats won many key races by running conservative candidates- Casey, Webb, Shuler, and Mitchell just to name a few.

If our leaders determine that the best direction for our party is to move even further to the center, we are truly doomed to permanent minority status.

Now who in the 2008 field can you imagine as leading the charge to the moderate middle? Would that be the same person who voted against the Bush Tax Cuts, co-sponsored legislation with Ted Kennedy to give Amnesty to 40 millions illegal aliens, insulted American’s working class by stating that they are too lazy to perform manual labor-even for $50 an hour, and championed legislation to curtail free speech?

What I think this poll may show is that Republicans are starting to realize that elections are not won in the “mushy middle” and that voters must be given the proverbial choice, not an echo.

Republicans need to be very careful regarding who they turn to as a result of these midterms. There are clear choices within our own party. Do we follow the Coburn’s, the Gingrich’s, the Flakes, or the Pence’s; or do we let the McCain’s, Blunts, and Specter’s lead us down the path to permanent minorty status?