Ken Blackwell has some sage advice for John McCain:...The three things for Mr. McCain needs to do in order to mobilize the base while holding the middle are:
First, he must be the agent of change. A big part of what Barack Obama has tapped into is that many millions of Americans want change. Whoever takes the Democrat nomination, that’s their campaign centerpiece. Mr. McCain needs to be the agent of change. And he can emphasize it from what he’s already pushed: Earmarks must end, he’ll veto any appropriations bill with them, and he’ll make their supporters famous. Earmarks have been a big disappointment to the GOP base, people are fed up, and Mr. McCain can end that scourge. He can expand that change theme to entitlements, energy independence, and health care.
Second, he must reach out to conservatives. He must hold together President Reagan’s coalition if he wants to lead the Party of Reagan. Mr. McCain must engage conservative groups, leaders, and members in an open and friendly manner. Rudy Giuliani has done this already, winning over people like Pat Robertson. Mr. McCain must dispel notions that he is hostile to conservatives and opposed to their causes. He has to sit down with them to discuss specifics, and in so doing, show that he is willing to engage them.
And third, the best way to do this is to make judges and justices a campaign issue. The composition of the Supreme Court is the single most important issue to countless conservatives. If Mr. McCain does what Mr. Giuliani has done — publicly assembling advisors on judicial matters and taking a clear public stand on using the right criteria for judicial nominees — he can become substantially more acceptable to millions...
