Conservatives within the Republican Party are almost resigned to seeing GOP frontrunner John McCain taking the Republican nomination. However, they are still debating to stay home or influence his positions and choice of a running mate come election night in November.
McCain has a long history of disputes over issues on a social and economic level with the flank of the Republican Party. Now, he is reaching out to his critics that Super Tuesday gave him a strong lead in the race. His main rival Mitt Romney has suspended his campaign.
“He’s got nine months to give birth to a conservative support group,” said the American Conservative Union Foundation’s chairman, Cleta Mitchell. Mitchell spoke as McCain pitched his candidacy to a skeptical audience.
McCain said that he is unable to succeed without their support.
“It is my sincere hope that, even if you believe I have occasionally erred in my reasoning as a fellow conservative, you will still allow that I have, in many ways important to all of us, maintained the record of a conservative,” McCain said to the audience.
Reverend Jonathan Falwell, son of the late Reverend Jerry Falwell said he was not ready to endorse a candidate. However, he said he wanted to hear more from McCain on the issues.
“I look forward to seeing what McCain’s plan is to unite the party,” Falwell explained.
McCain’s challenge is to sound a theme of unity without looking malleable or swayed by political convenience.
“I’m aware there’s a very fine line between inspiring in unity and pandering,” McCain explained and added: “You know, you’ve got to present it in the right way, of course.”
Mitchell does not McCain to change.
“He’s 70,000 years old, he’s not going to change,” Mitchell said.