A flat tax (cut) for the rich wouldn't have won any more middle income voters.

Anti-immigration candidates lost on the border. Of course maybe that was the "illegal vote" block.

Neither of those issues remotely motivated this independent voter who voted for Bush in 2004. I'm against the flat tax and ambivalent on immegration. I'm concerned about economic impact, but don't like the tone of the rhetoric and the seeming disconnect from US history (Remember the poor, the tired, and the hungry?).

The key issues are corruption.

The lousy state of Iraq.

Failure to keep promises and satnd by core pinciples.

It all boils down to just plain arrogance in power and putting party loyalty above country. We need a lot more Joe Lieberman/John McCains and a lot fewer Newt Gingrich/John Kerry types.