You might not be familiar with Richard Land, but he could very well be the deciding factor in this year's presidential election. Richard Land, a leader of the 18 million-member Southern Baptist Convention, recently explained why he and other social conservatives are willing to allow McCain to move to the center politically -- at least for now. McCain demonstrated his loyalty to the religious right by choosing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate.
"Actions speak louder than words and Sarah Palin speaks not just volumes, but a whole library," said Land.Land had lobbied McCain to add Palin to the Republican ticket. Now that his wish has been granted, Land is willing to overlook things like McCain's outreach to Log Cabin Republicans, a gay political group.
McCain's anti-abortion position and his choice of Palin give "people reason to believe it will be a pro-life administration," he said.
Land said conservatives appreciate McCain's efforts and don't expect him to make their agenda a cornerstone of his campaign, at least publicly, in the closing two months of the election.
Being able to deliver 18 million votes could make a significant difference in the outcome of this election. Gee ... if only Obama could have aligned himself with a vice presidential nominee who could deliver 18 million votes. Of all the bad luck.
2 comments:
If it were merely a matter of adding a woman to the ticket, then likely Hillary Clinton would have found her way onto the number two slot.
But putting Hillary on the ticket would have presented its own challenges and brought along significant baggage, plus a largely undisciplined campaign staff that would never have properly jelled with the Obama team.
I recommend in future we stop playing identity politics and thinking selfishly---wanting someone who is like us---rather than someone who will benefit all of us.
I think you have missed the larger message here ... adding a person to the ticket who can bring 18 million votes.
McCain was very smart in adding Palin to his ticket. It guarantees him the 18 million votes from the SBC.
Obama had an opportunity to do the same -- add as a candidate a person who could bring 18 million votes to the table. He chose not to, and now McCain is ahead in the polls with white women.
I have been saying this for more than a year now that women register and vote in greater numbers than any other "voting block". It was a huge mistake by Democrats to ignore that reality.
BAC
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