Will the White House be Decided by Stay At Home Voters?

Both the Demutantes and the Repuglicans are facing internal turmoil in their presidential nomination campaigns.

The "movement conservatives" of the Rove/Cheney camp detest their frontrunner, John McCain, while on the Democratic side, relations between the Clinton and Obama camps are positively toxic.

Of the two sides, the Republican dissent appears the least debilitating. McCain may never be right wing enough for his party's base but he can ease their discontent by chosing the right running mate and relying on the endorsements of key Republicans - like the nod he just got from George w. Bush. Also he's got eight months to win over the dissenters.

The Dems seem to be in worse shape. A lot of Hillary supporters say they'll stay home on election day rather than vote for Obama and that seems to be echoed in reverse by many in the Obama camp. Despite their fleeting moments of civility, it appears these candidates are in store for a lot more bloodletting that could continue right up to the convention. That, right now, may be the Republican's best hope for retaining the White House.

The Dems' best hope might be for a Clinton-Obama ticket, something to reconcile both warring camps. Clinton for president, Obama in the wings to succeed her. Unfortunately the Clintons have shown themselves less than helpful to their vice-president in the past. Hillary stepped all over Gore while Bill was president and Bill was probably Gore's greatest drawback in the Gore-Bush runoff.

Could Obama trust Hillary if he joined her ticket? Probably not. However the idea of an Obama-Clinton ticket isn't realistic. Hillary would never take second place. She's already been a vice president.

But Hillary may not be able to win without Obama and he may not be able to win without her supporters. Unless someone can find a way to defuse the bitterness and anger between the two candidates' supporters, they might just hand John McCain the presidency.