Because McLame did not gather the conservatives until it was too late with Sarah Palin. Granted, she was a breeze of cool, clean air for those of us who were painfully deciding whether to play party or principles here. But then McCain screwed up and voted for the almost trillion dollar bailout for the mortgage and banking industries, stabbing conservatives in the back once again.
Well, look at this way. Reagan ran in 1976 after a lame duck presidency of Gerald Ford and lost. Then Carter came in, f**ked up the country for 4 years, and in came Reagan, speaking eloquently and telling the voters everything would be okay with the right policies in place and make America a "city shining on the hill" once again after years of double digit unemployment, double digit inflation, a rescue operation gone awry for the 50 Americans held hostage by the Islamist savages in Iran, etc.
I have a very good feeling since B Hussein 0bama is our 21st century Jimmy 'Tarder, Sarah Palin will be our new Ronaldus Maximus.