Diminished GOP?

The Dems are going full throttle in their campaign to convince Americans that the Republican Party is diminished. It is an old tactic. Tell people that your opposition is no longer a worthy competitor. Why bet on a crippled horse?

In November, 2008, John McCain garnered 58,319,442 popular votes. That was more votes than any elected presidential candidate of any party received prior to George W. Bush's 2004 re-election.

Why was McCain defeated? The Dems registered millions who had never voted before. But, during the campaign we kept telling ourselves that those newly registered youth and minority voters are not likely to actually go to the polls on election day. That was and is true. But the Dems took advantage of early voting, absentee ballots, and other steps to be sure those newly registered voters DID vote. If they had not succeeded, John McCain would be president today.

Were the Republicans blind-sided? I don't think so. I think John McCain simply failed to inspire Republicans across the nation to get out and do the work that needed to be done. Too many Republicans, myself included, just had no fire in their belly to see John McCain elected. I know I made zero effort to draw new voters into the Republican Party. I did put a yard sign in front of my house and a bumper sticker on my car, but that was it. Big whoop. I was willing to believe that those newly registered Democrat voters would stay home on election day, as predicted.

They did not. Now, James Carville and his ilk are ranting that the Republican Party is dead. The truth is, the Republican Party is very much alive, and is adding numbers to those 58 million McCain voters every day. Happily, it is Barack Obama himself who is stoking the fire McCain was unable to ignite. It is Barack Obama who is strengthening the Republican Party.