Moderate Republicans lose presidential elections

Washington Times:

Sen. John McCain might more or less wrap up the Republican presidential nomination tomorrow on Super Tuesday but will come up short in November's general election if he does not quickly convince skeptical conservatives that henceforth he will walk with them, some key Republicans say.

Many on the right see him, at 71, as an aging centrist, and argue that every time the Republican Party has nominated a moderate, the Democrats have won the White House as aggrieved conservatives exercised their right not to vote, as they did in 1976, 1992 and 1996.

One way to try to address reservations about the Arizona senator's age and commitment to low taxes and limited government would be to name a young and credentialed conservative as vice presidential running mate.

"McCain needs to pick a man of the right, and South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford would be the best, at many levels," said economic conservative Pat Toomey, president of the influential Club for Growth and former Republican congressman from Pennsylvania.

Former Texas Republican Party Chairman Tom Pauken, popular with religious conservatives, also thinks Mr. Sanford is the "logical choice."

For some McCain antagonists, no hoop is high enough for the Arizona senator to jump through.

"What can McCain do to win over conservatives?" says English First Executive Director Jim Boulet Jr. "His long record of beating up his fellow Republicans to the applause of the media makes that almost impossible."

...

Whom Mr. McCain sees as a real conservative may not be good enough. He repeatedly has boasted of former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, considered by many as an amiable centrist, as a conservative endorser. That only brought eye-rolling disbelief from knowledgeable conservatives, whose typical response is that Mr. McCain "just doesn't get it."

Meanwhile, the name the press and liberal pundits most often mention is former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, an ordained Southern Baptist minister who some on the right regard as skating on the thin ice of Christian socialism.

Skeptics say a McCain- Huckabee ticket would be a disaster — given Mr. McCain's acknowledged ignorance of economics and Mr. Huckabee's demonstrated ignorance of Middle Eastern geography and politics.

...

"The only thing that will unite conservatives is a good — make that very good — V.P. choice," says former Republican National Committee General Counsel David Norcross.

Mr. Norcross's No. 1 one pick for Mr. McCain's No. 2 is Haley Barbour, the twice-elected Mississippi governor.

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Haley Barbour has the advantage over Sanford in that most people want be saying "Who is he?" if he is the nominee. His big disadvantage, particularly if Obama is the nominee is that he has been a very effective lobbyist which would give Democrats a chance to demagogue on that issue. Outside of South Carolina it is unlikely that five percent of the country has ever heard of Sanford.