The Republicans have the advantage in the General Election

[Onlooker]

If it's Clinton, they'll play on her gender, promote salacious rumors (like her "lesbianism"), recall her husband's scandals, rehash her old scandals, and play up her health insurance plan as a huge government program that will cost everybody lots of money in a bad economy. They will find ways to foster a rift between Clinton and Obama supporters in the hope of suppressing turnout.

If it's Obama, they'll play up any attacks that kill Americans in Iraq, and use that to prey on his inexperience. In this context, they will also raise questions about whether Obama can be trusted given that he grew up in foreign countries. They'll reinforce the question of trust by bringing up his liberal voting record; they'll find some way to make it a race issue and try to divide Latinos and Blacks, especially given that McCain has a moderate on illegal immigration. They'll call Obama a Muslim.

They will mock both of them, finding ways to mimic Clinton's laugh and Obama's oratory. Against Clinton, they'll agree to very few debates. Against Obama, they'll want more.

Whichever one of them wins the Democratic nomination will face an equally tough challenge. The Republicans are so good at framing our candidates in the worst way, and Republican political machine has no ethics. I recall in the Kerry campaign how feeble MoveOn's aggressive efforts were compared to the efforts of the SwiftBoat Liars. I don't think Clinton or Obama have an advantage against McCain. In fact, I think it will be an uphill battle not only for the above reasons, but also because our country still has an enormous amount of unconscious sexism and racism.

[thesubstanceofdreams]

1. They don't

McPain is not liked by their own conservative base.
People want change.
Independents lean democrat more than republican this year.
Just look at the turnouts in the primaries, the dem party is a lot more energized.

[Kermitt Gribble]

8. The OP is right.

Yes, Dems have the advantage with indies right now and a great primaries turnout, but november is a long ways away. The republican smear machine is unrivaled - they own the MSM and the voting machines - don't ever count them out.

[robbedvoter]

2. Here's a visual for your OP - I mostly agree

The only slight advantage I'd give Hillary on this - she's an old hand at it, while Obama would be caught by surprise - as he now believes his own press and thinks "fighting the Clinton machine" was hard work.

[ramapo]

3. People are sick of the Republicans

While I sometimes think I'm being naive and rosy-eyed, I see from my own interactions with people that, apart from the true believers, the voters are sick of the spin, politics of division, and outright bullshit.

The racists and hardened sexists wouldn't vote for a Democrat, even if HuckaRomney was nominated.

Obama will be the target of all kinds of attacks. I believe he will respond in ways that will render those attacks useless.

[bowens43]

4. The republicans do not have an advantage

in the general election. In fact, they are probably at more of a disadvantage then they have been since Goldwater ran against Johnson. The country is sick and tired of republicans controlling congress and sick and tired of having a republican in the oval office. McCain is an unpopular choice with the neo-cons and the bible brigades.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

5. too bad. The voting DEMS won't give a shit what the GOP says

and DEM turnout at the primaries is way up, and GOP has no reason to go to the polls
unless Hillary is the DEM nominee in 08.

She has united the GOP - they all have a visceral dislike for her.

Obama can disarm alot of the fake GOP talking points just by his television ads
which show him to be a real human.

This hurts the GOP efforts to "de-humanize" him.

[BlueManDude]

6. I think they have a built in Electoral College advantage.

[underpants]

9. DON'T NEED THE SOUTH

They can have it. In fact they are only the party of the south now.

IF that is what you meant.

[BlueManDude]

10. also the upper mountain west and plains (ok and neb)

they just have more totally rock solid states that will NEVER go dem. some of these places have more livestock than human beings yet they still get those three elec college votes. it adds up.

let's face it, any system where the guy with the most votes can lose if seriously flawed.

[underpants]

11. That is true

but the South is not a factor anymore. The DEEP south that is. Florida still is of course.

[BlueManDude]

13. i agree that the "solid south" is not a problem. we can win without it - although

it's nice to pick off some of those states. i believe clinton won la and alabama as well as ark and tenn his first time around.

the good thing is that the gop is evolving into a regional party. let's hope it continues.

[underpants]

17. Clinton won Georgia in '92? La. , Ark. (of course) , and Tenn

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1992

I did not know that he won Georgia.

One of their main strategies was to campaign up and down the Mississippi river. It worked.

[underpants]

7. Don't be afraid to be wrong and NEVER play on the defense

They are always wrong-the entire conservative movement is crumbling and they will only have the standard excuse to offer:
the ideas aren't the problem it is just that they were FULLY implemented. This with complete power in their hands.

They embrace being wrong they don't even care about it all they care about is SELLING it and claiming the BIG WIN

That is their entire model right there...and people are sick of it.

Don't play defense you end up moving to anticipate their moves and you get all turned around (see the last two Dem national campaigns)

[caseycoon]

12. It will be a viscious fight for whoever our nominee is.

Not to mention we still have to contend with the voting machines. I can only hope the Democratic party as a whole remembers how thouroughy disgusting it can get & will fight back with all they have in them. We need to get mean & nasty too! I hope they getting ready now!

[Iceburg]

14. They will put Condi on the ticket to syphon off the women's /nt

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

15. We can only hope.

WNSAE and WSOSE.

[mwb970]

18. Huckabee-Rice, yeah, that's the ticket!

It sounds like an exotic entree at the local diner.

"I'll have the Huckabee Rice to go and, um, hold the Huckabee."

[LibDemAlways]

16. It all depends on what takes precedence when

people enter the voting booth. Will their prejudices get in the way of common sense? The only way McCain can win (and I believe he can) is if people say to themselves "I know in my heart that McCain is a tired old warmonger who is clueless about the economy, but at least he's a white man." Whether or not enough people can overcome their prejudice to do the right thing we'll know come November.