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In reply to the discussion: Last night I saw why the GOP will lose again in '16 [View all]Proud Public Servant
(2,097 posts)That's what they all said about Romney, too. Now, granted, Romney also lost -- but it wasn't because conservatives didn't come out, nor will Christie keep them from coming out. It was because their party is shrinking overall and the Obama campaign is better at GOTV than any organization ever.
Freep was the best place to see this. The site owner started by threatening to ban anyone that supported Romney; in the end, he published a long post about why it way important to hold one's nose and vote Republican. Likewise, the site went from being dominated in March-April by posters who threatened to stay home in Romney were nominated, to being dominated in Sept-Oct by posters who were flaming anyone who threatened to stay home. Trust me, the teahadists will fall in line behind Christie just like progressive Dems fall in line behind third-way corporatists, time and again.
That's why Christie really is the most formidable candidate, especially against Hillary. A Cruz or Paul or even Rubio would push mainstream independents and moderate suburban GOPers to Hillary; but Christie would keep those voters while retaining a base so scared of Democrats that they'll never bolt party, no matter how much the gripe about the dreaded GOP-e.