Posted by
Bullpen on Thursday, February 07, 2008 10:50:19 PM
9 months.
That's how long we have to talk ourselves into John McCain.
McCain, to his credit, said all the right things at the CPAC He knows he has to appeal to the right if he wants to win, proving that the Reagan Legacy is still very much alive. He has the support of some Democrats and Independents. I don't expect to be a full blown McCainiac by November, but maybe I will be able to talk myself into voting for him.
The other side is just making it easier on me. Barack Obama called Mitt Romney an "ineffective candidate" today after Romney dropped out. Nothing quite like getting an unnecessary parting shot on a man who showed a tremendous amount of class in his speech and his decision to get out of the race. Obama the "uniter" decided to slap the four million people that voted for Romney in the face. Romney ran a hell of a campaign, and in case Obama didn't realize it, people are much more likely to vote for a black man than for a mormon.
Love him or hate him, Romney has accomplished significantly more in his life and for his country than Obama. The 2002 Winter Olympics, his successes turning companies around as CEO of Bain, and his tenure as Governor have done a lot more in the name of "change" than Obama has in the Illinois State Legislature.
The problem with McCain is that he lacks ideas for the future. He doesn't represent "change" (9 months of that word are going to drive me insane). The man has only been
able to campaign on his past. He needs to reveal his plans on
reforming entitlement programs and reducing the size of government. We need substance.
Despite many liberal ideas, Obama also supports becoming energy independent and cleaning up government. McCain can be strong on these issues too. He needs to propose the better solutions.
It is also important for Conservatives to turn their focus now to congressional politics. Remember, there are 3 branches of national government. Maybe somewhere along the way we can rebuild the Republican party from the bottom up.
9 months until November. 9 months of being caught between a McCain and a hard place.