But at least Gerald Ford dropped Rockerfeller from the ticket and gave us Bob Dole. He also was polite enough to offer the spot to Reagan first. That made it a close election.
Why do I still get the idea than any McCain outreach to conservatives will be to slap them down?
So you know Reagan better than his son? I grew up watching Reagan as governor of California, and he was the first presidential candidate I ever had the chance to vote for in 1980. As much as I dislike McCain, I have to agree that Reagan would vigorously support the eventual Republican nominee under any circumstances, especially when faced with the alternative of Obama or Hillary.
I doubt I will be able to force myself to give money or time to elect McCain unless he does a whole lot better job of reaching out to conservatives. But if he is the nominee, as seems a certainty, I will not speak against him, will at least support him verbally to the extent I can without compromising my principles, and will not stay home in November. I do remember the Carter years, and with the economy in its current state, electing Barak or Hillary could bring them back with a vengeance. It is not worth it. I will pray that McCain will be better than I expect, and support conservative candidates wherever I can.
I, myself, am having a very hard time trying to reconcile voting for him. This is the most troubling election I have ever experienced...GOP really pi$$'s me off