Super Confusing

Obviously I'm a bit late to be making any sort of relevant analysis on Super Tuesday's results - I'm sure you've heard it all before. One thing I would like to discuss, however, is how even though these primaries are the precursor to the same election for the same position chosen by the same people, it seems as if each party is dealing with it's own set of issues. For example, religious issues are a major concern in the Republican Party primaries, while health care has been huge for the Democrats. Neither side has often commented on what the other party, which they will be competing against shortly, is doing. It's an odd occurrence.

It also shocks me how both parties are viewing primary season. On the Republican side, the question has been (until this afternoon) who the "conservative " alternative to John McCain is, Mike Huckabee or Mitt Romney. Even after Super Tuesday, in which McCain was able to win a huge amount of delegates by attracting the majority of the party and many independents, the wing of the party that labels themselves "conservative" still insisted McCain was not fit to represent the GOP, and some went as far as to say they would rather vote for the Democratic candidate.

The reason this seemed strange to me is that on the Democratic side, both candidates have begun touting their "electibility" come November. Both Clinton and Obama are claiming that they will have the best chance to win independents, or even members of the party, in the general election, and that each stands a better chance against the Republican machine.

How is it, that in two parts of what is essentially the same race, one party has become obsessed with pleasing a small faction of the nation, while the other is looking towards the public as a whole? It's amazing to me to see how pleasing a small group of ultra-conservatives (albeit a loud group) in the GOP has become more important than how well the candidate would do in the main election - would Mike Huckabee stand a better chance than McCain of drawing moderates and independents? It's interesting to observe how two groups of people striving towards the same goal can focus on such completely different aspects of the public vote.