Though oft repeated as if true, somehow I just don’t buy the premise:
The problem in a nutshell: he desperately needs the backing of the very conservatives he has infuriated time and time again over the last few years. We’re not talking about tepid support either. John McCain needs conservatives to pour money into his campaign, and to rabidly defend him when he’s under attack — and of course, vote for him. Achieving this won’t be easy. In order to patch things up with conservatives, McCain will need to cater to us by making meaningful gestures that show his heart is in the right place and by shifting his positions a bit on key issues, in order to placate our very valid concerns about him.
Conventional wisdom suggests a candidate secure his or her base during the primary season and then run to the center for the general election. Well, McCain won the nomination without the base so why do these so-called “conservatives” insist he needs them to win the general election. McCain may be thinking he can win over the middle precisely by kicking the conservatives in the teeth one more time.
