From a strategic sense which candidate is more likely to unite the Rs?

[sidwill]

Obama

or

Hillary

[rox63]

1. Hillary

They will come out in droves to vote against her.

[PassingFair]

2. On this...

there is no doubt.

[sidwill]

5. Obama actually pulls moderate Repubs while scoring high with Independents.

Overall it would be better for our nation to have a president that creates a wider base of support instead of yet another in a long line of divisive figures who hardens the lines between right and left leaving very little space in the middle.

[southern_dem]

Senator Clinton

may not be her fault, but it's the truth.

[Avalux]

3. Hillary. If anything can bring that party together, it will be mutual hatred of her.

I am not looking forward to months of rehashing the 90s if she's the nominee. Id' rather have a hot poker stuck in my eye.

[Onlooker]

4. Neither, the Republicans are a mess

Hillary and Obama don't figure into their problems. If it's Hillary, the neocons would try to use her as a device to rebuild their movement, and that would lead to huge battle especially since McCain is not neocon. If it's Obama, the Republicans will be struggling so hard to be racist and divisive without appearing racist and divisive that they'll make a mess of things.

[sidwill]

6. Wishful thinking

I have not yet met a Republican who didn't just dislike Hil but despised her.

Look at 2000, Bush a bumbling idiot who was basically campaigning against peace and prosperity was able to win (cheated) a close election by running against a former member of the Clinton machine.

[Onlooker]

8. Actually, now that I think about it, Obama could be a better rallying point for Rs

Obama is definitely more liberal than Hillary, which I why I support him. But, it would probably be better for the Republicans to try to rally around the anti-liberal mentality than to rally around anti Clinton sentiment.

The Clinton haters aren't going to vote for Obama. They might try to sound more reasonable, but even now you can tell that's their lie. At any rate, I think Obama has the campaign organization to defeat McCain or Romney, and Clinton does not.

[sidwill]

11. I think your analysis is off base

Obama consistently polls much better among moderate Rs and Independents.

Hil's unfavorability ratings among these groups are very high.

[marlakay]

7. My republican bosses HATE her...

while Obama they don't even mention. What does that say?

[MADem]

9. I don't think ANY candidate can unite them. If McCain gets the nom,

Cheney is gonna have to rally his rightwing cretins, like Rush, and order them to GOTV for the sake of the party. But there's just no "enthusiasm."

As far as the Dem choices go, I think the rabid right hate both candidates. The wimmen-haters, the racists, they probably are on that GOP team in fairly equal numbers.

I think they are demoralized, though, those Republicans. They may just stay home and get drunk. Fine with me!

[sidwill]

10. If the Repukes have shown anything they have shown that they will close ranks

for a win.

See: GWB, Arnold, even Lieberman who won with heavy republican support

[MADem]

14. Arnold and Holy Joe won because DEMOCRATS crossed over.

They also got Indys. Those two aren't representative of the dynamic at all.

GWB is closer to the mark, but even GWB got some D fools, as well.

Not as many as the first two, though.

But Arnold got Dems in a big way. So did Holy Joe--the GOP candidate got almost no votes in that contest.

[Thrill]

12. I bet Dem Candidates for Congress want Obama to win the nomination

[sidwill]

13. Obama's coatails will be prodigous, Hil's meh no so much.

nm