One person that comes to mind is Lou Dobbs, of the Independent Nation. He hammered Obama day after day on his radio program. He defended Palin, but balked at supporting McCain. Why? Well, Dobbs, a clear independent, wants secure borders. He wants international trade deals to favor American workers and companies. He wants his second amendment rights protected. He wants off-shore drilling. I've heard him advocate for all of these positions, and I believe that polls show that most Americans agree with him.

Was this the clear Republican message? Not so much. In the independent's mind, McCain was weak on immigration and on protecting the American workers and small business people. McCain had a history of sounding like a Democrat (taxing the successful, anti-offshore drilling, etc.), and the independent had a problem with voting for a 72 year old that they just weren't sure of.

The GOP had several candidates, some stronger than others, who would have gathered in the independents (mostly conservative Democrats and libertarians). The group that McCain was popular with were the old Rockefeller Republicans, not the independent minded conservative. He spoke to the moderates in the GOP, but not the independents. That was the error in the GOP's strategy. They thought a maverick would connect with independents - wrong! A strong fiscal conservative, who believes in liberty, would connect with them. Problem was, we sent them home packing...