Coleman and Pawlenty watch McCain go down in smoke in MN

Both Sen. Norm Coleman and Gov. Tim Pawlenty watched their presidential candidate John McCain go down in smoke last night at the MN Republican caucuses. Mitt Romney won MN with 41% to McCain's 22%, Huckabee's 20% and Ron Paul's 16%. Actually, it's also a stick in the eye for MN Republican Party Chair and Huckabee's MN campaign chair Ron Carey. Why won't the Republican base listen and obey?

Gov. Pawlenty has been criss-crossing the country campaigning for McCain, but obviously forgot the locals. Norm is a recent convert mainly because media-annointed front-runner Rudy Giuliani's campaign collapsed and he needed another front-runner to support. Norm isn't exactly brave.

The religious conservatives won't support McCain because they see him as weak on their core issues. The Republicans who oppose the war and/or are opposed to the fiscal irresponsibility of the Republican Party are supporting Ron Paul. There's little chance they would support John McCain as he's been a cheerleader for this war and Bush's credit card fiscal policy. That's 42% of the Republicans who turned out last night. It's safe to say that 40% of the base won't tolerate McCain. Take James Dobson as an example.

The real danger for the Republicans is those who want fiscal responsibility and/or the US out of Iraq who would be willing to cross over and vote for a Democrat because they see McCain, who looks more than likely to be the nominee, as hopeless on these issues. The other possible danger is the possibility of a third party conservative candidate to run and splinter an already disintegrating Republican Party.

The religious fanatics are not happy with the Party. They are seeing the truth that power corrupts. Many are either thinking about dropping out of politics or are retreating from it as inherently dirty. I can't see how they can tolerate the lies the McCain spews. Evangelists have a little saying about "walking the walk." McCain will say freaking anything to anyone regardless of whether or not it contradicts something he's said previously. Sometimes even minutes or seconds previously.

The moderates are fleeing or have fled the party. I have heard many, many anecdotal stories of doorknockers and phone bankers talking to Republicans who say they are voting Democratic now. They cannot tolerate the war in Iraq and the credit card fiscal policy. They see Mittens, Huckleberry and Paul as scary. They see the Republican Party as beyond redemption.