I posted my expanded observations on the debate on the main page: Democrats debate; fur flies.
One point I omitted was the boost the Democrats gave John McCain. When they argued about electability - I believe John Edwards brought it up - each seemed convinced McCain would be the fall opponent, and they suggested how they might fight him on national security issues . . . very unconvincingly, I should add.
Now, of course diehard conservatives will rebel against the Democrats' picking our nominee, and the fringe will suggest a conspiracy to hoist the Senator upon us (as if our own voters weren't doing enough already). But the swing voters in the big, winner-take-all states on Super Tuesday are only beginning to pay attention to the campaign, and they tend to go with the perceived frontrunner. The mention helps McCain far more than it hurts (he wasn't exactly cleaning up with the conservatives anyway).
Even more importantly, like all the Republicans except Romney, McCain is short on cash. No one will have enough to compete in all the expensive media markets in the states which vote then. Being thought the frontrunner will help loosen some purse strings between now and then, and every little bit of exposure helps a lot, especially if the limited resources are wisely applied.
Being the frontrunner helps you raise money, which in turn helps you remain the frontrunner. It also gives a bit more margin for error: McCain can now survive a poor third in Florida, and a close third won't hurt him at all. Giuliani couldn't survive such a finish, and Romney would be hurt by it.
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2008 Presidential Race, Democrats, McCain, Republican, South Carolina, debates
Tags: debate, Democrats, McCain, presidential campaign, Republicans
Comments (2)
The most important point to... (Below threshold)1. Posted by sam | January 22, 2008 8:54 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
The most important point to note about the Feb 5 primaries, on the GOP side, is that the race is currently frozen for Florida. No candidate is doing anything anywhere else, concentrating on FL and hoping to get momentum from there. Given that there is only about 5-6 days of campaigning left after FL, candidates' efforts are not going to be important at all. Money is not going to make a difference, because there is hardly any time to have any message sink in. (As evidence, Romney has spent most on ads in Iowa, NH and SC, with fairly limited results.) Obviously, nobody can organize in the 24 states within 5-6 days. The big deciders in these states will be the current status of the candidates as it stands, plus any movement coming out of Florida.
1. Posted by sam | January 22, 2008 8:54 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on January 22, 2008 08:54
2. Posted by Glenn Koons | January 22, 2008 1:12 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I am hoping, as Dennis Prager wrote today, that Rudy and Mitt beat out the Straight Talker in Fla. That sets up some mo for Tues. the 5th. for either Mitt or Rudy. John would not get the South in the general election. It is possible that either Mitt or Rudy could pick Fred to do that. John might do it too if he wins. But with the economy tanking, it appears that national security is not the issue that it should be. So who do Pubs trust for the economy? McCain? Nope, his Medicare SS stances, his amnesty stances would have killed the economy even quicker. So, who do we pick? After watching the Dems kill each other last night, it appears that the media is fine with socialist pacifists no matter which Empty Suit wins for those guys.
2. Posted by Glenn Koons | January 22, 2008 1:12 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on January 22, 2008 13:12