Different GOP 2008 primary elections

I just started thinking about this today, and I am curious as to how others would see a Lincoln Chafee bid for the White House in 2008 going. One big thing I would find interesting right off the bat is how the anti-war wing of the GOP is set up with its attentions now being pulled upon by both Chafee and Ron Paul.

I am also quite curious as to how Chafee would do in any primaries and if he even has a shot to be a major player in the primary. This might butterfly many other events as well, but I am not sure what they would be. Any more speculation?
 
Chafee's probably too moderate for the republican party as of the '08 primaries. I wouldnt consider it impossible for him to win, but he would be an outside contender most likely. Maybe McCain and Giuliani tank early, and a stop insertcandidate campaign is made to prevent the right wing from taking the nomination. But he would drive off a number of voters (possibility of a splinter faction running as a third party and splitting the vote) while not really improving their prospects among independents (see 2006).

Another possibility is the religious right decides to back him in the primaries in the hope that he hurts Obama/Clinton but loses badly in the general, thus positioning them to dominate the party for the 2012 campaign. But that type of strategic thinking has never been a hallmark of the republican right, and I doubt that they would go for it (for that matter, I wouldnt be suprised if many couldnt stomach the prospect of supporting Chafee).
 
Chafee was worse than simply "moderate" from the perspective of likely Republican primary voters. He was and would be seen as having been actively harmful to party unity, and generally capricious with his support.

In essence, he would have no core constituency among primary voters(Ron Paul, Huckabee), nor a compelling life story(McCain), nor an impressive resume(Romney, Giuliani), nor an appealing personality(Arguably, Fred Thompson).

There's also the matter of fundraising. It seems quite doubtful that Chafee would inspire donations from the Republican base, or self-finance.

This isn't to praise or condemn Chafee, but had he tried running for President as a Republican, he would have been one of the forgotten Senators/Congressmen that drop out early.
 
Well, he'd have to retain his senate seat for starters. God knows how he could do that.

But yeah, as Tyg says, he would go nowhere.
 
He's too much of a RINO for the Republican's to even consider him. if he was in the Senate, he'd probably pull a Specter and switch parties. seeing as he left the GOP in 06 he'd have a hard time getting the nomination.

after reading his wiki, Chafee and Paul have nothing in common except their stance on the war. a better senerio would be if Paul hadn't been as nuts on the war, he would have done far better and maybe pushed Huckabee and McCain for the nomination.
 
Lincoln Chafee has as much chance of winning the nomination as a Blue Dog Democrat has of winning his party's nomination.
 
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