McCain in Command, Obama and Hillary Still Slugging It Out!

So, here we are: McCain has taken the GOP nomination by virtue of his delegate count from the primaries. Meanwhile, Hillary and Obama continue to battle it out through ever more primary elections. Hillary’s Ohio and Texas wins have apparently revitalized her campaign. Questions over Obama’s ties to a Chicago property owner and his income tax returns evidently raised enough doubt in voters’ minds to give Hillary much-needed victories. But yet again, another victory for Obama in Vermont, seems to put him slightly ahead. Again.

Question: With the two of them neck and neck, how to decide a winner? Brokered convention? That’s been a topic of speculation on various news programs and something that puts a smile on Republican faces. A continued nomination fight down to the wire will surely deplete Democrat resources to the point that finding even more funding for the national campaign will be more difficult. The GOP seems to have avoided that pitfall with the Romney/Huckabee departures.

There’s been lots of talk of GOP attempts to continue the Democrat brouhaha by suggesting that Republicans and moderates vote for Hillary in unrestricted primaries to keep the ruckus alive. Even Rush Limbaugh has been accused of fomenting the idea. I think that’s a real danger of unrestricted primaries. Voters from one party can infiltrate the other camp and spoil their selection process. The same thing happened to the Republicans. Consider Tancredo, Thompson, Giuliani, Romney and Huckabee: All considered more conservative, yet look at our remaining choice - McCain: How did that happen? I believe the flawed process currently shaping the Democrat race - uncommitted/undisclosed voters voting across party lines is to blame.

Considering McCain’s “Maverick” status, what next? In answer to protests from the conservative party faithful, he’s acknowledged the need to bring them back into the fold. He’ll need to. If he continues to court the center and the left, at the expense of the conservative base, he could be in for a big surprise, come November!