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As John McCain moves toward securing the Republican nomination, the latest buzz is about who he might pick to be his Vice President. The new refrain from those conservatives unhappy with the Arizona Senator as the Party’s nominee, replacing the silly "I won’t cast a vote for him" meme, is one that touts a "good" conservative in the VP slot as a good way to get them to change their minds. I agree– however, there is that chance we might see something different. Joe Lieberman is right on a couple of the really big issues like the war, but no conservative is he. I hope this does not happen, but such a pick isn’t beyond the range of possibilities.
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Anyway, this got me thinking about two things. First,
Who would make a good pick to complete the ticket?
Some mention Fred Thompson or Mitt Romney, but I’m not so sure those are the best possible choices out there. One person that has been appearing often on Fox News lately is Michael Steele of Maryland. He is young, energetic, and very well spoken using Republican values throughout his analysis and debate. Contrasted with my belief that the Bush Administration’s major flaw has been a lack of articulating the message and properly defending its actions, Steele strikes me as an excellent communicator that could get the job done in concert with McCain. Other than him, or maybe Condoleeza Rice, I really need some help coming up with other names. Our buddy John Hawkins has a list of potential choices in a post at Right Wing News, although there are several I don’t care for. Feel free to post your suggestions in the "comment" section below, or drop me an email with your thoughts.
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The second question that occured to me was,
Who ARE those good conservatives, anyway?
This one takes some thought as well. Who are the leading conservative lights that can move and motivate people in an inspiring way? Who immediately comes to mind? Ronald Reagan doesn’t count as an answer, other than as someone to aspire to emulate. Perhaps Newt Gingrich? A name I haven’t heard much lately, Bret Shundler is another that occurs to me. Who else belongs on this list? Remember, I’m not necessarily asking for VP picks here. I’m simply looking to identify conservatives we can nurture and rally behind for various elective offices as we seek to influence the political process in order to steer government into a more conservative direction. Or maybe I’m all wet. Perhaps it’s Bloggers and other pundits and commentators I should be looking to. Either way, it will end in the political arena. Again, feel free to put suggestions in the "comment" section or send an email. I’ll follow up with another post to list and discuss the results.
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Thanks in advance for your help on this!
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