McCain's Rough Night Overshadowed By Clinton's

As the battle over Indiana progressed between Sens Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton late Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning, a set of depressing polls numbers were finalized for John McCain.

In the GOP primaries in North Carolina and Indiana, the basically uncontested Republican nominee did not gain more than 80 percent of the vote.

In Indiana, McCain earned the backing of 78 percent of Republican primary voters, with exited candidates Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney gaining 10 percent and five percent respectively. Congressman Ron Paul, who is still in the race, has received seven percent of the vote.

The numbers were even worse in North Carolina, where McCain won 74 percent of the vote, with Huckabee earning 12 percent, Paul earning seven percent, and four percent of Republican primary goers simply voting "no preference."

None of these totals, to be sure, will affect the Arizona Republican's almost certain path to the nomination. But it has been more than two months now since McCain became the presumptive GOP candidate, and in each state election since he achieved that measure he has continued to lose a relatively substantial chunk of Republican support. In Pennsylvania, for example, McCain won 73 percent of the vote, with Paul pulling in 16 and Huckabee 11.

The troubling figures, however, may be the popular vote totals - individuals who McCain will theoretically have to woo back into his good graces. In North Carolina more than 105,000 Republicans did not vote for McCain. And in Indiana, 85,000 voters - whether they were Republican, Democrat or Independent - cast their ballots for someone other than the Arizona Republican.

The totals reflect roughly 90+ percent of the totals reported in each state, and will likely change, but not by much.

Comments

[Intelligentia]

Luckyoldson,

Thank you for your honesty. Of course, there are some people who will not agree with you. Some of them will disagree because they are in denial while others will disagree because they actually believe that race is no longer an issue in the United States.

I support Obama wholehearthedly because I believe he will be the best President. However, I am not sure he can win (I very much want to be proven dead wrong) because Whites may not vote for him because of his race. This is the key point Hillary Clinton is implicitely or covertly making, and she is correct, though pathetic for our nation.

If we follow her logic and those of Democrats who believe that Democrats must win in November, we should wrest the nomination away from the Black man and give it to a White woman.

My take on that logic is this: If the only way White Democrats can put a Democrat in the White House is only if that candidate is White, then let the Republicans FOREVER! Why should Hillary be rewarded for White racism? If Obama loses, it would be because White Democrats decided that they would rather have a White Republican in the White House than a Black Democrat!

If White America is so appalled with someone associating with a racist (assuming Reverend Wright is), does that mean everybody who has a relationship with Senator Robert Byrd, a former member of the Ku Klux Klan, is a racist?

[Anonani]

And I say again.....embarassing!

[mindact]

We're really not worried about John McCain in the fall. Here's why, he's such an easy target to get swiftboated. If the repugs decide to play the Wright Ayers card, we will release the entire payload on John McCain.
We act as if the republican party are the only ones with the capability to swiftboat our opponents. We have well funded organizations that will turn McCain into an pantsy enemy collaborator (aka his vietnam days) in the fall. We also have the dirt on his drug addicted stepford wife. And oh get this, by the time we regurgitate how he abandoned his crippled wheelchair confined first wife, who stood by him b/w thick and thin for the shiny flashy rich lady he's walking around with as a trophy wife, there will be no woman on earth willing to vote for him. We don't even have to bring back his black love child given to us by George bush. Conservative will drop him like a bad habit....

This is even before we get into the policy issues. We just have to take the soundbites the DNC has been running both on the war and the economy a couple of notches up. Then the final indictment will be the picture of the oneness hug b/w GW and McCain. By the time we're done John McCain and George bush will be one and the same. If the republicans want to play dirty, in the words of George bush, bring it on

[elbzee]

I don't think you're paying attention to the expectations of our next President. His race has NOT stooped to those levels. He has specifically instructed his staff to be respectful of Clinton and I suspect will do the same with McCain.

You don't get it, do you mindact? It worries me that you don't. The man has class. He has substance. He does not need to slime an opponent, just demonstrate his superiority. It is those qualities that I think have turned the perception of many people.

If you insist he get down in the mud and wallow, please hush. He's doing just fine staying out of the muck, thank you.

[Stew118]

I can't WAIT to see the two of them debate side- by side. McCain might have a better shot if they played 21 for the Presidency...

[LITU]

Piss poor choices the lot of them.

[rwe]

don't be delusional.... this was basically a conservative message vote......Think prograssives!!!, what will be easier , Republicans who did not vote for McCain in these meaningless primaries , voting for him in the GE or The Hillary supporters turning to Barack ?

[nativeeyes]

THE SECRET IS OUT....

The Republicans want Clinton to win.. To them she is a Republican. She was brought up in a Staunch Republican Racist Household of bootleggers. She switched when she Graduated from Wellesley College..

Mccain has become the sacrificial lamb for the Republicans.. He feels he's been set up..

This is hilarious!! He knows that he won't win, they know he won't win, so they rallied behind him as the loser as his swan song into retirement..
What a set up to be in Bush's shadow in a recession. Lol!

Those GOP are some vile sons of beeshes for doing this, WOW..

That's why no real Republican stepped up to the plate and nobody really wants the VP position.

Romney wants it, but he will help in Idaho, Utah and Nevada, that's it..

It's a losing battle that nobody wants to look as a loser. Condi Rice and Powell took their name out of the mix, because they even know that it's a losing year for Republicans this year.
The Republicans are now losing office and Congress seats in States that never ever been held by Democrats.

It started with them losing the House and it's spreading all over the US. I know many of your might not care, but things are really bout to Change around this Country..

[edsel]

I care a lot and I hope what you say is correct.

[realpolitic]

Seantor McCain may have launched a negative attack ad on himself. That would explain his poor showing.

[elbzee]

Sadly, he risks attacking his own campaign each time he opens his mouth.

[realpolitic]

Poor McCain can not even win a race where he is the only horse.

[MACS]

.
Even repub-LIE-CONS want CHANGE not McSame.

ROFLMAO
.

[luckyoldson]

I still think the key for Obama to actually win the general election is this: Will Americans elect a black person to be President of the United States?

We can throw out poll after poll, with people saying they would vote for a person of color, but there aren't many who will admit to their own real feeling regarding race or even gender when asked a question via the pollsters.

I grew up in a large Midwestern city and whenever I return for a visit I have a hell of a time finding many who would vote for a black person...and I'm talking about Democrats, Independents and even some pure liberals (if it's possible to called a liberal in this case).

[Intelligentia]

Luckyoldson,

Thank you for your honesty. Of course, there are some people who will not agree with you. Some of them will disagree because they are in denial while others will disagree because they actually believe that race is no longer an issue in the United States.

I support Obama wholehearthedly because I believe he will be the best President. However, I am not sure he can win (I very much want to be proven dead wrong) because Whites may not vote for him because of his race. This is the key point Hillary Clinton is implicitely or covertly making, and she is correct, though pathetic for our nation.

If we follow her logic and those of Democrats who believe that Democrats must win in November, we should wrest the nomination away from the Black man and give it to a White woman.

My take on that logic is this: If the only way White Democrats can put a Democrat in the White House is only if that candidate is White, then let the Republicans FOREVER! Why should Hillary be rewarded for White racism? If Obama loses, it would be because White Democrats decided that they would rather have a White Republican in the White House than a Black Democrat!

If White America is so appalled with someone associating with a racist (assuming Reverend Wright is), does that mean everybody who has a relationship with Senator Robert Byrd, a former member of the Ku Klux Klan, is a racist?

[elbzee]

Good post Intelligentia. I share your concerns. As long as race is considered a factor in this contest, it will be one. If only so many people hadn't proclaimed their stupidity and voted for Bush in 2004 I wouldn't be so worried. I lack the confidence in the American public to get over the significance of a few cell layers of melanin for Christ"s sake! It's one of my biggest fears for Obama. At this point, I'm gonna hold my breath, dive in, do my very best to help him win, and prey that stupidity doesn't determine the next 8 years of our country.

[HippieChick]

"Will Americans elect a black person to be President of the United States?"

I continue to find this a most repulsive comment. I am certainly "age enhanced" - and not since my long-gone grandfather have I encountered this type of blatant discrimination. Even as a child I was repulsed by bigotry. I just don't understand how the seeds of this cultural dysfunction continue to survive.

[egal]

You're in the minority, no pun intended. The personalities least likely to succumb to such prejudice--that which is at least subconsciously prevalent within their surrouding society--are relatively few, or else men such as MLK and Ghandi would not receive so much wonder.

Fortunately, human beings are remarkably adaptive (although less so the more they believe themselves to be "in the right" as often occurs with racists and sexists), and even those of us who can't understand how some individuals have the moral fortitude to stand up to wrongdoing can teach ourselves to look at things differently.

As long as we're openminded enough, which unfortunately does seem to be possibly genetic and greatly learned behavior, with those who are least openminded also the least likely to recognize when they are flagrantly in the wrong or evildoers.

[americanwomaninpa]

the comment is not repulsive at all. It is simply a fact, that many will not vote for Obama because of color. Almost 100% of black people voted for Obama because of color. Like it or not race is going to be an issue. I'm not happy about it,but it is ,what it is.

[MrJoyboy]

Bush...McCain...who will the Repubs nominate next--Charlton Heston's corpse?

[ResidentChimp]

McCain got larger percentages than Obama.

[KarlRoves3rdchin]

Chimp -please look at the actual number of votes -Obama has McSame beat by 3 to 1.

McSame is McHistory -thank Gawd!!!

[luckyoldson]

Geeee, do you think that might be because...he was running against people who have already left the race or were never really in it in the first place?

Good lord...

[RedWhiteandBrooklyn]

Just look at his screen name: It's George Bush trying to be anonymous! No wonder he can't do the math! Ask him why he hasn't worn the flightsuit lately.

[hoopesaz]

I'm a registered republican (disaclaimer). I usually vote republican as well. I was prepared to vote for Clinton for President. Now that she's out, I need to determine if Obama is someone I can support. Not sure at this point.

My point is, I think people are massively miscalculating the republican voter response in this election. Popular opinion is that voters are following the sinister plans proposed by Rush and DailyKos about sabatoging the election for the other side. I'm sure there's some of that, but I think (from my personal feelings and knowledge of those I associate with) that folks don't like McCain.

It's not just that he's liberal leaning...he's clearly not. It's that he's old; it's that he's angry and not all that smart; it's that he's hard-headed; it's that he wants to be in Iraq for forever; it's that he, by his own admission, knows nothing about the economy; it's that he's alientated folks everywhere and doesn't have the poltical influence to accomplish anything or bring anyone to the negotiating table; it's that he's mean and spitefull. There are a thousand reasons not to vote for McCain.

[HippieChick]

"I need to determine if Obama is someone I can support"

That's an easy one. Do you want four more years of republican destruction of the United States Constitution? Do you want to continue throwing $12 billion a month into a war of lies? Then McBush is your man.

[cg3]

I think if you were willing to vote for Hillary, you will be pleasantly surprised if you check out Obama.

[Darsan54]

Your description of J.McCain could essentially be the same one for H. Clinton. Obama brings some youth and vigor to the table. I also think he will bring a new cooperative spirit but without the "innocence" of an idealogue. He will actually fight for the causes he believes in. Not saying he's going to win every fight, but I believe he will at least fight.

[Researchguy66]

That will make all the difference; youth, vigor and cooperation. I think our problem is that we don't cooperate with Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas or Al Qaeda enough. I'm sure Barry will straighten that little situation out.

[BigLib]

They were all busy voting for Hillary.