Hugh Hewitt, who was an early friend to this blog, is a strong Romney supporter. Today he called for people to get behind the nominee – regardless of who wins the nomination in the Republican party. He can give you seven good reasons why:
As of this morning, McCain has earned 615 delegates and 4,220,296 votes; Romney 268 delegates and 3,497,341 votes, and Huckabee 169 delegates and 2,232,530 votes.
(If we were using West Virginia rules, we'd get the Huck folks to revote right now and get one of the GOP candidates to 50%.)
Senator McCain has a clear path to the nomination, Romney a very uphill battle, and Huck is fighting for 2012 at this point and for a win in a major vote outside of the south. Certainly they should all stay in through the primaries ahead because it isn't over and because our side needs the excitement of a campaign in such key falls states as Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania to keep the MSM from turning 100% of its attention on to growing the Obama phenomenon. They ought to be scheduling three man debates in every state, making their points and taking every opportunity to look ahead to the fall.
At the same time, Romney and Huckabee ought to begin to note Senator McCain's lead and urge their followers to recognize that if they cannot come back they and their followers will have to come in and join the party's eventual nominee. Senator McCain would do well to make a similar statement though his lead is significant and his collapse unlikely. Putting Humpty Dumpty together again cannot wait for St. Paul. Each of the three need to strike some common chords again and again, beginning with why the GOP needs to retain the White House, regardless of who its nominee is.
There are seven reasons for anyone to support the eventual nominee no matter who it is: The war and six Supreme Court justices over the age of 68.
Please jump over there and read the rest of what Hugh wrote. I've pointed this out myself, of course, but Hugh has a teeny bit bigger readership. Bryan at Hot Air also notes that John McCain is trying to reach out to conservatives. McCain is doing a good job of it, too, he notes:
I’ve come to post this not to bash McCain, but to praise him. If this call was my first introduction to John McCain, I’d vote for him in a heartbeat. It’s not my first intro to McCain so I’m still voting for Romney, but it’s a well-done call that hits all the right notes. I’m choosing not to dwell on the “any other immigration reform” line, of course. The rest is very good. I’m sure that for millions of Republican voters on Tuesday, this call or something like it sealed the deal.
Bryan notes that Mona Charen at The Corner also got the call and says that McCain is willing to meet conservatives more than halfway. The left is cheerfully trying to provoke conservatives right now, hoping for tempers to flare. Do you really want to play their game? Because they want you to take your ball and go home. That's winning for them.
I have to say, it really says something profound about the majority of Conservatives in the Republican Party who love and support our troops and their mission so much that they are willing to abandon almost every principle they believe in order to ensure America keeps up the war against Global Jihad.
It also says a great deal about those who blackmail our misson and our military in order to gain power.
In any case, I already said I’ll vote for him however if he really wants to show Conservatives, and not just talk, that he is meeting them halfway may I suggest he select a quality VP candidate who is actally a well-rounded Conservative (preferrably not named Huckabee or Leiberman since McCain already has those voters)
Is this too much to ask or am I being difficult?
No, Syn, it isn’t. I’d like to see a good, solid conservative VP. Lieberman won’t do it (good for him), Huckabee is a bad choice. A governor would be a real smart choice for McCain. (Crist’s name has been tossed out around here and elsewhere.)
syn -
I am in complete agreement re: the Veep. To see McCain extend a hand to Romney, or possibly Thompson would go a long way in building that bridge he needs with conservatives.
McCain might ask Obama to be his VP if the circumstances presented themselves. This is the problem with McCain.
Brilliant thought NortonPete. It would be completely in character for him to do something like that. Such a move could change the dynamics of the race in ways that would likely boggle my feeble mind. I’ll have to think about that for a little while.
I am tired of a three way race – Democrats, Republicans, Conservatives. We cannot win with just conservatives. Middle people need to be included if we are to win this November. I agree with the “7 resaons”. I am for McCain (and he is not my first choice), but if Rommney or Huckabee win then thats who I vote for. (Note I did not say I would EVER vote for Paul.)
Hewitt has been pushing McCain for a while now, with the “my party, right or wrong” theme. I don’t know why he wants me to abandon my principles, but in expecting me to do so, he’s lost any respect I had for him. For Hewitt to bring up the Supreme Court is downright disingenuous at best; he has to be hoping we’ll all forget that McCain explicitly said he would refuse to back at least one good choice for Supreme Court Justice, essentially because that choice was too conservative.
The party is essentially gone. God help us all, our next President will be a liberal.
If it is, clifto, you can blame yourself for it.
I take no blame for putting a liberal in a leading position in the Republican Party. You sound as though you’d vote for PIAPS if she managed to wheedle the Republican nomination. I won’t vote for someone who is virtually guaranteed to remove every trace of conservatism from our government, regardless of which party that candidate represents.
McCain has already shown an eagerness to work against the GOP when it suits his liberal agenda. Why you would endorse that is beyond me. No, I take no blame, because I won’t be voting a liberal into office.
McCain DID back that particular nominee. All you are going by is unsourced gossip which says he said he wouldn’t have PICKED a nominee like Alito. Not only is it an unsubstantiated rumor that he made that comment, but we have evidence that he still supported Alito when picked by Bush. Who cares if he’s not going to go out of his way to pick nominees like Alito (if that’s even true) whom he might perceive as more contentious, as long as he picks more that are like Roberts?
Quote from Wall Street Journal: “More recently, Mr. McCain has told conservatives he would be happy to appoint the likes of Chief Justice John Roberts to the Supreme Court. But he indicated he might draw the line on a Samuel Alito, because ‘he wore his conservatism on his sleeve.’”
Please point out the part about “rumor”.
I can’t point to what is not there but I’ll repeat: what’s missing is a source for those statements.