Called out

Apparently, my 28 September and 2 October articles admitting that Obama is winning right now and expressing my disappointment with the vice presidential debate touched a nerve with at least some of my readers. One commenter asked whether I changed my mind about my support for McCain.

The answer is unequivocally no. I support John McCain as much as I did on 26 January 2008 when I first concluded he was the only candidate suitable for me to vote for as president based on my standard of national security. That conclusion holds true as much now as it did then: I support John McCain for President of the United States.

The question really is, do you?

The problem here is that John McCain is losing. He is losing because his campaign will not listen to the good advice of others. He is losing because of his and his vice presidential pick’s mediocre performance in the debates. He is losing because he is trying to be too clever instead of just campaigning. Most of all, he is losing because millions of conservative voters are sitting around instead of doing everything they can to get John McCain elected.

So you think it’s not your job?

Well, that’s why McCain is losing. Winning elections is more than a yard sign and a bumper sticker. Winning elections is talking to people, pounding on doors, making telephone calls, and writing on weblogs just like this one and others. I have personally spent dozens, maybe hundreds of hours talking, writing, and debating in favor of John McCain.

Frankly put, what have you been doing?

I am not a talking head on some news show, but I am deeply involved in the study of politics. My conclusion that McCain is losing is based entirely on my experience as an informed writer and citizen since I first started down this path in the late 90s. My conclusion is not some whim or chance, but based on the cold hard reality of election politics.

Do you want false bravado?

Then look somewhere else. What I want is for all of the conservatives out there who happen to read this weblog to take the next four and a half weeks and do something about what they believe. Who is elected president is ultimately up to each and every one of us. For every one of you who sits around waiting for someone else to do something or believing you don’t have time, there is that much more chance of an Obama presidency.

So there it is. I support John McCain for President and will continue to do so until he is elected or until it doesn’t matter, but my support is meaningless unless it is joined to the support of the rest of you who also support McCain and unless we all work to convince as many people as we can.

-=DLH=-