McCain wasn't exactly the best candidate...

[Nightshade]

Almost anyone EXCEPT McCain would have beaten Obama. McCain didn't inspire the republican party and center-right voters as much as even a Giuliani candidacy would have. McCain repeated several left-wing mantras such as \"global warming\" and other concerns his party's base did not consider to be in its interests rather than standing for conservative fundamentals.

Hillary would have beaten McCain even more handily than the weak Obama.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/11/12 ... arch_story

November 12, 2008, 4:25 PM
Who Were Those Clinton-McCain Crossover Voters?
Posted by Vaughn Ververs| Comments122


CBS News’ Election and Survey Unit’s survey analyst extraordinaire Jennifer De Pinto goes inside the exit polls from last week’s election and finds some interesting nuggets about those Hillary Clinton supporters who voted for John McCain:

As voters left the polls on Election Day, many were asked how they would have voted if the election match-up were between Hillary Clinton and John McCain rather than Barack Obama and McCain. 52 percent said they would have backed the former Democratic candidate; 41 percent would have voted for McCain, wider than Obama’s 7-point margin over McCain.

Interestingly, 16 percent of McCain voters said they would have voted for Clinton, the Democrat, if she had been her party’s nominee.

So who were these potential cross-over voters?

# They were older: 61% of them were age 45 and above.

# 53% were women; while 47% were men.

# 43% of these voters who supported McCain but would have backed Clinton if she were in the race described themselves as Independents. 31% were Republicans; while 26% were Democrats.

# 84% of them were white – higher than the electorate at large. 12% were Hispanic, compared to 9% of the total electorate.

# 21% of McCain voters who would have supported Clinton said race was factor in their vote. 19% of McCain voters overall said race was factor in their vote.

# 61% of these McCain voters who would have backed Clinton earned $50K or more annually. 39% earned less. 61% do not have a college degree.

# These voters valued experience over change. 47% said experience was their top candidate quality and 32% said a candidate who shares their values. Just 10% picked change. But like voters overall, the economy was the top issue for these voters.

# 58% of McCain voters who would have supported Clinton if she were a candidate said their candidate’s personal and leadership qualities was more important in their vote; 36% said it was their candidate’s positions on the issues.

# Among McCain backers overall, voters were divided with 48% choosing issues and 49% picking qualities. But among the electorate at large, 58% said their candidate’s position on the issues was more important.

While 85% of Obama voters said they would have voted for Clinton had she been the Democratic candidate, 13% would not have supported her including 6% who said they would have backed McCain and 7% who said they would not have voted.

# 60% of these voters were under age 45.

# They were mostly men. 59% were men; while 41% were women.

# 41% of these voters who supported Obama but would not have backed Clinton if she were in the race described themselves as Democrats. 20% were Republicans; while 38% were Independents.

# While most of these voters were white (74%); 17% were black – higher than the share of the total electorate. 5% were Hispanic.

# 53% of these Obama voters who would not have backed Clinton earned $50K or more annually. 47% earned less. 58% do not have a college degree.

# These voters were clearly looking for change – 57% picked it as their top candidate quality. This was followed by values (20%) and cares (12%). Experience ranked last with 8%.

# 60% of these voters said issue positions were more important; 38% said it was leadership and personal qualities.

[Will Robinson]

It doesn't matter which republican ran because Obama ran against Bush and he beat him like a drum.

[Sergeant Thorne]

McCain didn't inspire the republican party and center-right voters as much as even a Giuliani candidacy would have.

Hillary would have beaten McCain even more handily than the weak Obama.

Absolute nonsense, and particularly the last one.

I really despise what seems like a movement to load McCain up with the blame and then push him out the window. These folks supported him, and now to jump to an alternate extreme for no other reason than his blatant failure shows a real dearth of character. Anyone who supported McCain bears a portion of whatever blame there is to go around, in my book, and if it was so wrong they can really do nothing but tuck their tail between their legs, bow their heads in shame, and determine not to make the same mistake again. McCain was always known as leaning towards the left--I hold the Republican party responsible for trying to sell that to conservatives, and while I always said that I was more anti-Obama than pro-McCain, I learned a lesson in it too. If the Republican party had called a spade a spade, instead of focusing so much on the fact that this spade was a war hero and now the new greatest American hero, would the party have been in a better position to correct their mistake. Perhaps honesty is really the best policy. ;P

To me the fact that McCain lost the election does not by itself mean that his are failed policies. I think that conservatives should decide policy for policy's sake, and then work on winning the vote, rather than shaping policy to win the vote.

[Sergeant Thorne]

It doesn't matter which republican ran because Obama ran against Bush and he beat him like a drum.

Ah, but had Bush actually been running it would have been different. Count on it.

Obama VS "Bush" (McCain) != George W. Bush VS Obama

[Will Robinson]

....
Ah, but had Bush actually been running it would have been different. Count on it.

Obama VS "Bush" (McCain) != George W. Bush VS Obama

I think if Bush was running it would have been 75% Obama 25% Bush

[Gooberman]

The reason McCain lost begins and ends within Alaska.

Since the beginning of parties, this is how elections have worked: The republicans run to the far right in the primaries, and the democrates run to the far left.

Then once those are overwith they converge to the center. They look rediculous doing so, but they both know that that is how you win.

John McCain ran his campain backwards. By the grace of God an actual centrist got through, and then spent all of his time showing people that it wasn't so. Obama was enough to get the right to come out. See ST's post.

Also, the republican party has become way to \"the other guy\" focused. All polling shows, and I think even threads here agreed, that both campaigns were focused on Barack Obama.

[woodchip]

The reason McCain lost begins and ends within Alaska.

Actually Goob, if you look where McCain was in the polls before Palin and then immediately after you will see the addition of Palin to the ticket spiked McCain's poll numbers upward. Where McCain screwed up (not Palin)was over the economy and the bail out package. Immediately after the vote, McCain's numbers plummeted. I suspect without Palin, a lot of republicans would not of even voted. Lets face it, McCain was just a bit too left orientated for the conservative base (can we say McCain/Feingold). I didn't vote for him in the primary's and if Hillary would of been the nominee and no Palin on the ticket, I would of voted for Hillary...just for the lulz of seeing Bill hanging around the interns.

[Nightshade]

McCain was the \"darling\" republican of the media...until he ran against a democrat. Suddenly he found a pen stuck in his back (several hundred pens actually.)

[fliptw]

It doesn't matter which republican ran because Obama ran against McCain and everyone used McCain as a whipping post for Bush's presidency.

fixed

[TechPro]

Ahhh Shoot! I thought the election was over.










Take a hint guys ... the election is over. Move on.

[Gooberman]

I would of voted for Hillary...just for the lulz of seeing Bill hanging around the interns.

Ya, those would of been good times.

[Testiculese]

It doesn't matter which republican ran because Obama ran against McCain and everyone used McCain as a whipping post for Bush's presidency.

fixed

I think it would have mattered, because McCain was all for everything Bush did. So Obama *was* running against Bush. If there was a Republican that gave a ★■◆● about the country and not just for himself, then Obama might have been in trouble.

Doesn't really matter. Neither candidate is worth a paid vacation in an outhouse anyway.