Beer in the Headlights

A string of polls conducted by the Suffolk University Political Research Center over the past month--in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and, now, West Virginia--show that roughly 20 percent of Democratic primary voters are ready to vote for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in November if their choice candidate isn't the nominee.

It's not at all difficult to see why McCain appeals to such a large portion of registered Democrats. His oft-touted "maverick" status gives McCain the air of being a GOP outsider. Where McCain typically breaks stance with the Republicans is where many socially conservative blue collar voters can relate; money.

McCain-Feingold has been, and will continue to be, a political liability with conservative voters but can be attractive to more moderate voters.

On the other hand, McCain's fervent and consistent "no pork" stance is popular with many conservatives and also appeals to many rural blue collar Democrats - the ones whom B. Hussein labeled as "bitter."

Despite some sour grapes rumbling from the political right, the numbers bode well for McCain in the general election. While it looks as though Obama is near a lock for the Democrat nomination, John McCain will pull a considerable amount of votes from those that currently support Mrs. Bill Clinton.

Yeah, those votes... The Democrats who, according to Paul Begala, aren't "African Americans or egg heads."

Current poll numbers show a near statistical dead heat between McCain vs. Obama and Mccain vs. Clinton in the general election. Those numbers will change drastically once the Democrat nomination is settled.

A few key things will lock up the election for John McCain. First, he needs a young, vibrant and staunchly conservative running mate. That will assuage both the disaffected conservatives and those skeptical of McCain's age. Second, McCain needs to eloquently point out the obvious flaws and shortcomings of his eventual opponent - both of whom have plenty. And third, John McCain needs to remain positive about his vision and keep putting forth solutions instead of rhetoric.

John McCain wasn't my first choice out of the pool of Republican contenders. That being said, he's strong on the four issues most important to me; the GWOT, SCOTUS appointments, taxes and government spending. Those are four key issues that will appeal to nearly all conservatives and McCain's campaign must focus on those with conservative voters.

A similar campaign worked for Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984. It can work again for John McCain this year.