If this economy had fallen apart 10 months earlier, I firmly believe we would have watched Ron Paul win on the 4th. The man called it, and he was the only one who would acknowledge reality.
@ Dee: Couldn't have said it better myself. Missouri (my state) went for McCain, despite my vote for Barr.
The notion that the 3rd party candidates and voters sank the Republicrat party is completely absurd. Only someone who is either a complete and total imbecile unable to find their posterior with both hands and a flashlight or someone in a complete state of denial believes that the problem was the 3rd party voters.
The Republicrat party has utterly abandoned their values. Remember when the Republicans practiced fiscal conservatism? Well I don't either, but I remember when they at least pretended to. Now, the party is more or less a dead hulk, lacking a clearly defined direction and purpose, with no unified message.
Ask yourself, what was the message of the Republican party during this election? I don't believe I ever heard them deliver a message. McCain jumped around, modifying his message almost constantly, and in the end the only message he managed to deliver was "be afraid of Obama." Obviously, that message didn't resonate with the people, and McCain was soundly beaten by Obama and his vague but optimistic message of "change."
The sad state of the Republican party is a direct result of the unbelievably poor leadership of Bush. The man is like King Midas, except everything he touches turns to fecal matter, not gold. It's not that he's a bad guy, it's that he's in way over his head and lacks the ability to lead people, which is an important skill for a leader.
Now, you boys can say what you will about Obama, but the man is charismatic and the fact that he is calm and composed 100% of the time and able to hold the attention of a crowd is a refreshing change for people who don't listen quite hard enough to fully understand his message of national socialism.