True Yankee

When listening to people talk sports, they will often talk about how somebody has to 'earn' their place on a new team. The New York Yankees of the last few years haven't won a World Series, which is nearly the end of the world for any Yankees fan. As a result, almost all of the players brought in to the team since that time are seen as not being 'True' Yankees. A-Rod being the clearest example.

The problem for the GOP is that currently none of their three big stars (McCain, Rudy, Romney) are "True Yankees". McCain will forever be remembered for running to the left of Bush in 2000. Rudy is pro choice, pro gay rights, lived with his mistress while getting a messy divorce from his wife. And Romney is the most craven political creature possible, state shopping as best he could till he managed to win the meaningless Massachusetts govenorship (the Mass State Congress is nearly pure democrats, when a republican is in the Gov's office, they just override his vetos and do as they please.)

The thing is, the high bar of True Yankee that Bush set is one that will be nearly impossible for any of the major three to meet. There are a few lower teir canidates like Brownback who have the ability to make the case, but nobody's looking at them at all.

And this is the problem for the GOP, the majority of Americans don't like Bush, so they don't want more of the same in the next election, to not be crushed in the upcoming election, the GOP must go with somebody who is at the very least on the surface, more moderate then Bush.

But to win the nomination, one must pander to the 30%, those who support President Bush and all his amazingly unpopular decisions, like being anti-stem cell research, being in favor of having the government get invovled in a family's decision to end life support for someone who is in a 'persistant vegitative state', and of course, the whole failure in Iraq and the potental for a new and greater failure in Iran.

This is the albatross around the neck of the Republican Party that Bush has become, those who wish to take his place can not both be "True Yankees" to the home team, and still be tolerated by the public at large. McCain has already said he'd work to overturn Roe V Wade. He's doing everything he can to placate the fans, but he'll never be a "True Yankee".

This leaves the 30% in a true pickle, they want to support their team, but they now feel their team has betrayed them, will they stay home, or will they decide to support another team? Time will tell.