Here's another perspective on the election:

[ProSense]

Opinion

John McCain Had a Good Election Day

Peter Brown
47 minutes ago

The big winner Election Day wasn't even on the ballot. As screwy as it might seem, the Democratic takeover makes it much more likely Republican John McCain will be the next president of the United States.

That popping noise you might have heard early Wednesday morning wasn't just Democratic champagne corks; it was the starter's pistol kicking off the 2008 White House campaign.

For McCain, the perfect political storm - Iraq, corruption and the Foley scandal -- that handed Congress to the Democrats was far from an ill wind.

The results mean the Arizona senator's maverick ways that irk some of his own party's most conservative members will become a political asset if he wins the Republican presidential nomination. It is his past ability to appeal across party lines which makes him the candidate whom Democrats fear, and have not so privately hoped would be unable to win the GOP nomination.

They acknowledge that as the Republican presidential nominee McCain would be competitive in many states - Michigan, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Washington, Oregon and perhaps even California, Pennsylvania and Illinois - that Democrats count as their base. And that's not to mention the ultimate battlegrounds, Ohio and Florida.

Snip...

There is nothing like defeat to make political partisans put aside their differences and focus on what they have in common. GOP conservatives who had the luxury of trying to make sure their nominee was pure enough may be much less picky now.

Simply put, the prospect of Hillary Clinton, John Kerry or Barack Obama in the White House come 2008, with the Congress already in Democratic hands, is likely to be a motivating factor for Republicans.

Snip...

Of course, nothing is certain, and McCain's age and health - he would be 72 when inaugurated - will remain unknown factors. Yet, for at least one Republican, 2006 was a very good year.

link

LOL! OMG!

[paulk]

1. don't laugh

The country likes divided government, and McCain could very well benefit if it looks like Democrats will retain the Congress in 2008.

McCain is seen by many to be bipartisan - in fact, he is probably the most bipartisan Republican in the Senate. There is a TON of legislation with both his name and a Democrat's on it. Don't underestimate his appeal, especially for independents. There is a reason Lieberman won, and it's the same reason that makes McCain such a dangerous candidate.

The only position that hurts McCain is his stand on Iraq - wanting to send more troops in. But, two years is a long time - who knows where that situation will be by then?

Another thing to keep in mind - McCain is the one Republican who can negate the Democratic advantage gained in the mountain west on Nov. 7th, especially if the Democratic nominee is a northeasterner.

I can't think of any other Republican who gained as much from this election as John McCain.

[ProSense]

2. This is spin!

That is not the only thing that hurts McCain, there is plenty to show his willingness to skirt the rules and turn a blind eye to corruption.

[ray of light]

3. If McCain wins, all we need to do is run

Bush's tapes from 2000, followed by Bush kissing him in 2004, followed by his delving into Bush's extreme right causes...

Then let a voice over say, "He didn't protect his wife and child. He wasn't loyal to his values. Can you trust him to protect your family and be loyal to you?"

[paulk]

12. spin?

don't accuse me of "spin".

I'm interested in a clear eyed look at the possibilities in 2008. I think McCain would be one of the largest obstacles to a Democratic takeover of the White House, and this article you've posted (and laughed at), closely mirrors my own thinking on the subject. I think it's something worth discussing. That is why you started this thread, isn't it? Or did you expect everyone to laugh along with you?

How, exactly, are you going to get across to voters that McCain "skirts the rules and turns a blind eye to corruption"? Do you really think the Keating Five scandal is still going to carry any weight with the average voter? Or are you talking about something else?

How is Kerry going to overcome the built in advantages McCain will enjoy in the midwest and mountain west states? Laughing at McCain isn't going to win Kerry any votes out here, believe me.

[ProSense]

13. Sorry!

I should have titled the post "This is media spin." They are the ones spinning McCain as bipartisan and moderate. It is why they keep mentioning JK in the articles about him.

[ProSense]

16. Here are the issues that are going to impact McCain's run

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2839907&mesg_id=2839907

VIDEO- McCain on MTP- Flip Flop on Jerry Falwell-Agent of Intolerance
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=820840&mesg_id=820840

Also, he went to SD in support of the abortion ban initiative, which was recently rejected!

[TayTay]

5. There is a lot of truth to that.

Guiliani has jumped in. I wonder if that will cut into some McCain support. They both appeal to neutrals.

[ProSense]

6. Not unless McCain

is competing in drag:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2965285&mesg_id=2965285

The both appeal to neutrals because McCain is still being portrayed as the victim of swift boating and friend of JK (notice it's in every article) and Giuliani the 9/11 guy. McCain has been sucking up to the right and Giuliani has no chance with that group, but there is some overlap with neutral voters. IMO, the real stories of McCain and Giuliani will turn those voters off! McCain will have more staying power than Giuliani.

[ProSense]

7. So Kerry is an asset

for McCain:

In 2004, McCain showed his loyalty to the Republican Party when he campaigned for the president and rejected overtures from his Democratic friend and Senate colleague, John Kerry of Massachusetts, to run for vice president on a bipartisan ticket.

McCain stirred the pot throughout, defending Kerry when his patriotism was questioned and criticizing the president's foreign policies.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/11/10/politics/main2174034.shtml

And that piece of fiction is repeated here:

http://americaabroad.tpmcafe.com/blog/qshio/2006/nov/13/how_to_beat_john_mccain

[paulk]

9. Guiliani has some of the same problems both

Kerry and HRC have. He's from the northeast. That's good for at least two strikes in the south and west.

There's going to be a lot of pressure on the Republicans to move to the center after Tuesday's debacle... Guiliani and McCain are, at least right now, the obvious choices in that strategy. McCain has made overtures to the fundy right, plus he doesn't have the aforementioned two strikes, so I see him beating out Guiliani if the party does decide to go in that direction.

Of course the two might cancel each other out in the primaries, giving an advantage to a new/theo con... but, who's that going to be? Both Allen and Santorum are out of the running. Frist? Don't see it. And the Republican Party machine is a lot more disciplined than our's - it wouldn't surprise me to see a consensus candidate before the primaries even get going.

[wisteria]

11. The RW talk shows seem to keep mentioning Romney. He is getting

a bit of airwave recognition.

[paulk]

14. I was going to mention Romney,

but he shares the same disadvantage as the others - being from the northeast, that is.

The Republicans suffered big losses in the northeast this election - their power base has really shifted to the old south... I'm sure they're aware that that's not a winning strategy in a national election... still, it's hard to see how a Republican candidate from the NE wins in the primaries.

[TayTay]

15. I would expect that. The Rethugs are disciplined

and like to have that corporate like structure in place, then just appoint a CEO. That is how they operate. (Dems have a round of surivor and kill each other. The Rethugs just don't do it that way.)

[LittleClarkie]

4. But he's in favor of Iraq

He's just so smarmy. I hope people will see that, and how he waffles.

And as a Senator, he will have as much trouble as any Senator, including our John, or even Hillary.

[ProSense]

8. SAVED by a Democratic majority!

Last week’s election robbed Mr. McCain of a prize he had sought for many years, the chairmanship of the Armed Services Committee. If Republicans had retained control of the Senate, he was in line to assume the gavel and the ability to call witnesses and set the terms of the Iraq debate in the Senate, at least in part. But the defeat of Senator George Allen, Republican of Virginia, tipped the balance of power to Democrats, putting Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, an early opponent of the war, in position to assume the post in January.

[ProSense]

10. Here's an assessment of Giuliani's chances

from Talking Points:

(November 14, 2006 -- 12:34 PM EDT)

PERHAPS THIS IS something of an existential question. But do we really have to pretend that Rudy Giuliani has more than a snowball's chance in hell of getting the Republican presidential nomination? Or can we all just stipulate that a multiple adulterer, who supports gay civil rights and choice, has deep and on-going ties to mobbed-up and now-disgraced Police boss Bernie Kerik, has a largely unscrutinized (outside of New York) resume, and had the bright idea of locating the NYC disaster center in the already-once-bombed World Trade Center probably will have some rough sledding in Republican primaries?