My vote yesterday for John McCain counted and mattered more than perhaps any other presidential-related vote I've ever cast. Despite my preference for Mitt Romney, I voted for McCain because he has more appeal to "independent" voters and has a much better chance of beating the Democrats in November. (Ah, "electability".) I was very conflicted about this decision yesterday, and now that I've seen the Missouri election results I'm even moreso.
- McCain: 194,304
- Romney:172,564
22,000 votes isn't that close, but I bet a big chunk of that difference was made by people like me. Romney convinced me that he'd be the best President out of the Republican field, but he couldn't convince the majority of voters who weren't paying very close attention. (As evidenced by the strong showing for Mike Huckabee, who is basically a socialist who happens to be a Baptist.) It's too bad Romney isn't (yet?) as skilled at politics as he is at business. McCain has a great chance of beating Hillary, and a decent chance of defeating Barack Obama. As demonstrated by his cache of "silver medals", Romney just couldn't close the deal most places he went.
John Mccain will prosecute the War on Terror with ferocity, which is the defining issue of our time. He's also consistently pro-life. Those are my two main issues, so I think I'll be satisfied with a McCain presidency. Unfortunately McCain isn't as strong on my third and fourth top issues: illegal immigration and tax cuts. His incursion into free speech with "campaign finance reform" is repugnant, but has apparently been largely ineffectual. I don't think McCain is a foe of free speech in general, but he does have a tendency to flail against perceived problems without a great deal for forethought. Perhaps the blowback from his failed comprehensive immigration reform will teach him some humility?
Anyway, despite cries of anguish from much of the right I'm prepared to embrace John McCain as my presidential nominee. Keeping Hillary and Obama out of the White House is essential to our national security and to the lives of millions of unborn children, and those issues trump any others for me at the moment. However, I sincerely hope that McCain doesn't pick Huckabee as his running mate....
Update:
Instapundit has a pertinent admonishment from Bill Whittle to conservatives unwilling to support McCain against the Democrats.
It makes me sick to hear McCain supporters lecturing conservatives about party loyalty. Of all people, John McCain, the most disloyal, backstabbing Republican in the Senate, is now going to demand what he was never willing to provide.
John McCain betrayed the US Constitution that he once swore to uphold and defend. McCain-Feingold gutted the core 1st amendment right of free speech in politics. I cannot vote for the man.
Instead, I will devote my time, treasure, and talents to withstanding the storm of the next two years and preparing for first, a new Congress in 2010 to check the President and a better President in 2012.
I suspect that I will not be alone.