An article in the Politico sums up the state of affairs for Republicans. They may end up with McCain as their nominee not because they like him. In fact, many key factions of the Republican base can't stand McCain -- it's just that there's really no one else. Basically, there are no good alternatives:
Now that John McCain has come back from the dead, the question is whether those Republicans who buried him initially are willing to tolerate his maverick ways because they have no one they like better.
So Republicans may end up with a nominee who voted against the Bush tax cuts, pushed gun control, wanted immigration reform which his fellow Repubs. call amnesty and was the main sponsor of campaign finance reform. That's a grand slam for the GOP base.
Don't get me wrong here. McCain is an extreme right winger. He's just strayed from the hard core GOP orthodoxy slightly on a couple issues, which means the hard core GOPers don't like and don't trust him.
Peter Brown's article examined the GOP's other options. As we've all known for awhile, it's slim pickings. Read that analysis after the break.
There really is no candidate that works for the Republicans this year:
They can go with one of the other candidates or, upon reflection, decide that perhaps McCain isn't that unacceptable after all — especially given polling data suggesting he might be a stronger candidate in November than many of his competitors would be.
Given that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's inability to win either Iowa or New Hampshire has badly damaged his candidacy, to which many conservatives had flocked, those Republicans may not have many more palatable choices.
They can hope former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson — perhaps the most conservative of the remaining candidates — mounts a comeback that would make McCain's look like a piker. But that hardly seems in the cards.
Or they can go to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, whose record and rhetoric on taxes and terrorism makes many economic and foreign policy conservatives very nervous, perhaps even more so than does McCain.
Their other alternative is throwing in their lot with former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who, on a host of issues, is far to the left of McCain and whose messy personal life makes many conservatives uncomfortable. Besides, after the candidate finished just ahead of quasi-fringe candidate Rep. Ron Paul (Texas) in New Hampshire and lost to Paul 3-to-1 in Iowa, Giuliani's chances for the nomination don't look very good.
Basically, some major faction of the Republican party has serious with every one of their potential nominees. That's usually a problem on the Democratic side, but not this year.
