John McCain Fails to Unite Republicans

Much has been said as of late about the state of the Democratic Party. With Operation Chaos in full effect, and inner party fighting reaching a new high, the public focus has been on the destruction that has taken over Democrats. While the focus has been on the Democrats, the Republicans have been quietly facing a crisis of their own. There are murmurings among Republicans about John McCain. He is not conservative enough for some; he's too old for others. He can't be trusted to pick a viable running mate. All of these rumblings are making their way to the polls as the ballots are cast in the Republican Primaries.

In both the North Carolina and Indiana primaries, John McCain only netted about 75% of the Republican vote. Considering that he is not running against anyone that is really saying something. He should be running away with the votes, but that is not the case. The main reason he is not racking up the votes is that he is not viewed as conservative enough for many Republicans.

There was a time, not too long ago, when John McCain classified himself as an Independent. Now, running for President on the Republican ticket, he still holds true to many of his former Independent values. He did not have an epiphany overnight and realize that he was really a Republican disguised as an Independent. No, instead he has decided to go with a more mainstream party to help his chances of winning the Presidency. It has caused him to loose some faith and support in the Republican Party.

If you take away the stance on the Iraq War, John McCain is very close to the policies of Hilary Clinton, a Democratic contender. McCain's more liberal ideals do not sit well with the Evangelical Christians that flock to the Republican Party. It has been important to Republicans in the past to court the Evangelicals. George W. Bush was a professional when it came to the Christian right. John McCain has been working on it, and he has won over some, but he is still having trouble in that area.

Age is another factor that is working against John McCain in the polls. Truth be told, the United States is an ageist nation. John McCain's age has played into the race. Both Democrats and Republicans view his age as a major liability. There is a lot of fear in electing a President who is in his golden years, and the effect of that is showing up at the polls.

If McCain would speed up the process of picking a running mate, he would probably be able to gather more support. Of course, that would only be the case if he picked a running mate that was suitable to the more conservative Republicans. He would do well to pair up with one of the former contenders in the Republican Party. He needs to team up with one of the men that are stealing the votes from him in the primaries. It would help him appear more conservative to the Republican Party.

It has been an intense primary season, to put it mildly. Even though the Democrats have been getting much of the attention, the Republicans are dealing with their own issues of party division. It will be interesting to see if the parties are able to unite before the general election.