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I don't believe the mainstream Republicans realistically wanted to win this election. They needed to do several things:
1. Distance themselves from Bush. Having a Democrat in the White House would do that. They can let Obama fix or not fix the things that need fixing, and they will have issues to run on in 2012. If they were in charge and things didn't work, 2012 and many elections later would be lost. They probably saw themselves in a better position criticizing the Democratic Congress and Executive Branch than having to constantly apologize for Bush.
2. They needed to discredit the far right evangelical base so that it will not have so much control in the next election. McCain/Palin helped.
3. They needed to energize the moderate base. McCain/Palin created that energy for negative reasons.
4. They needed to reorganize around moderates. The loss of this election gives them the excuse and reason to do so.
You mean they need to stop being the Republican Party! This was the strategy that returned them to power and defined the party. Can both parties share the moderate vote without polarizing their fringe component. Look at how the Lefties are freaking out about Obama the moderate.
It's so scary that they got as many votes as they did, he and Palin. Millions of people were so eager to believe anything negative about Obama no matter how insane. If Obama hadn't run such an astounding get-out-the-vote, if he hadn't been as decent a person as he is - if he'd gotten flustered and sunk to McCain's and Palin's levels - they WOULD have won.
Actually, I feel exactly the same way about Obama. Another Harpo Production that the very naive fell for, hook, line and sinker.
Suspending his campaign was just one of many dumbheaded moves that McCain took. The worst move goes back to 2006 when GW Bush basically endorsed him by giving his full support and that included the team that had run his campaign. McCain was now a "reformed" person, and ran his campaign using the formula he was, once, a victim of.
"The magic" did get him the support of partisan populace which would have voted for sponge bob were he on the gop ticket. It was a formula for disaster. The final nail in the coffin came in the form of Palin as the running mate which proved that there are still a few republicans around with some spine... Specifically, likes of Kathleen Parker, Peggy Noonan, Colin Powell, Chris Hitchens etc.
Campaign suspension only proved cluelessness and that gop had nothing but a few atwater-rovian style talking points to offer.
John McCain's biggest mistake was running for president. The GOP's biggest mistake was nominating him.
The awful truth!
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....he WON!
