Some of you might think, reading that headline, that what you will get here are election strategies, talking points, issue debates for the General Election with Obama or Clinton (most likely Obama)…

But if you have come here for that, you will be disappointed. I am going to make the presumption, for the sake of argument, that McCain wins. What you are going to get from me today is HOW Conservatives WIN with McCain once he is IN office.

Without question, the far right is taking their “my ball and I am going home” strategy to the max, and talk radio is trying hard to claim victories in States like Virginia where, in fact, both the far right AND talk radio are insisting that the close “on your heels” performance of Huckabee was a ’sign’ of their dominance. But, in reality, while both groups can claim that their constituency did have something to do with that outcome, I think it would be impossible to make a claim, scientifically or otherwise, that either group had ANY real impact on the outcome. My point is, that outcome likely would have been EXACTLY the same without the uproar.

Meaning? It would have been close, not as close perhaps, but close, and McCain would have still won. Being able to argue “Huckabee LOST by LESS because of us!” is just about meaningless. (Keep in mind here, I support Huck, and don’t care much for McCain.)

Even without the uproar of the Coulter’s and the Limbaugh’s of the world, the outcome would have been the same, just perhaps not as close. To suggest otherwise would be to suggest that either Conservatives are stupid on their own, or that in fact they DO just follow the talking points of the media heads in the party.

I think otherwise, and I will argue they can figure it out themselves.

I think the effect of talk radio and far right wingers on actual primary elections is much more minimal than general elections. The problem with THIS election is that the far right let McCain survive too long. They (the far right) should have stated from the get go that they would not support him, period. Had they done so early on, months ago, when he was getting on planes alone, and out of cash, he would have been done. The media was even saying “stick a fork in him???”

The far right missed their chance there, perhaps out of kindness, perhaps out of common negligence (lack of foresight) and perhaps out of smugness that there was NO way McCain would win. But there is no doubt in my mind that the far right could have squashed McCain early on, had they had the unity and foresight to do so.

Do I blame them that we are where we are? No. That would be ludicrous. I will only blame them if we lose the White House (Veto power in a Democrat controlled congress), the war in Iraq, or the chance to nominate 1-2 SCOTUS judges for LIFE, due to their insistence that they cannot vote for McCain.

So- let’s just assume McCain can win if we put the collective votes of the GOP behind him- he CAN. If that is the case, what do we DO as Conservatives to make this work for us?

The key word is, we will have to work. Daily. For four years.

We cannot vote, then sit by and go back to our lives as they were, so to speak, and just expect that on autopilot our Conservative Warrior is going to take care of business for us. Even BUSH has failed us in some regards, on issues that might have never have expected, and honestly, it is OUR fault.

I mean, seriously, you far-righters… how different is BUSH than McCain on immigration? Hasn’t Bush let us down on spending? Even McCain would likely be stronger than he on pork. Granted McCain and Bush differ in other ways, but we have to understand how to WIN… how we MAKE lemonade out of, well, lemons.

McCain will most likely need to be ridden hard and put away wet. The likes of Dobson and AFA and Grassfire and the Minutemen will have to put his feet to the fire over and over. The Log Cabin Republicans and the Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute will have to pound him from time to time. The Federalist Society and the NRA will have to bounce him around. I could go on and on, but the point is, we are going to have to WORK.

We are going to have to work at the grassroots level to make this “President” work if we want to “win” with him.

If you want to vote and go back on autopilot, he is not the man for that. We don’t have a better alternative, than to put him IN, and then WORK, ourselves, to make HIM work.

This last summer, McCain stuck his finger in our eye again with immigration legislation that he supported that amounted to amnesty. Big mistake, and honestly, we as a party made him feel our pain.

He will respond, as President… I actually have faith that he will. But, it won’t come without some kicking and screaming, on both sides (his and ours). But WE have the power- he is one man; we are the PARTY.

McCain will bend. If he is good at anything, it is that. He has proven that, much to our dismay. We just have to be the bigger wind on his reed.

I am willing to support the man, but I am also willing to work to make HIM work. Are you?

If you are not ready or willing to work, then be willing to lose. Big.