The State of the Conservative Union: Good, “my friends,” very good

Seven months ago just a few days before Super Tuesday, I wrote about the State of the Conservative Union.  And as we all remember, at that time, it wasn’t good.  The main frustration conservatives felt at the time was over the fact that they felt like they didn’t have any good choices in the primary.  Not only that, but the writing was on the wall that McCain – a man who conservatives have had their share of issues with - was very likely going to be our nominee, and without much of a fight from his Republican opponents. 

Once it was clear McCain in fact going to be the nominee, the divisions deepened within the Republican party, with some vowing to sit out the election and others willing to hold their noses and vote for him.  But as we’ve moved beyond the primaries and into the general election, we’ve been seeing a tough, gritty campaign from McCain, a man who for all intents and purposes shouldn’t even be in the picture considering Obama’s mega-star credentials with the mainstream press, as well as Obama’s ability to win over voters with a fancy speech – something McCain will never be able to do. 

McCain still sometimes frustrates conservatives – we know that won’t ever end, but they’ve seen the fighter in him this summer, not willing to back down on going after The One, and they’ve seen him run an effective general election campaign so far.  The campaign ads have been brilliant and have hit home.  He hit a home run at the Saddleback Civil Forum while Obama looked like a deer in headlights.  As the Georgia/Russia conflict raged on (and continues to do so), McCain clearly took command of the issue, so much so that a vacationing-in-Hawaii-eating-snow-cones Obama revised his intial tepid statement on the surprise international crisis of the summer in an obvious effort to sound as tough as McCain.

To me, that was the turning point in the general election season.   And then McCain shocks the country with the selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, and energizes the hell out both conservatives who were already on board with voting for him as well as many of those who have been relectant to.  Over the course of this summer, slowly but surely the dynamics of everything have changed. For the first time since our Congressional trouncing back in 2006, I have felt like the Republican nominee for president actually has a shot at winning this thing, and I know I am not the only one.  It’s still going to be an uphill battle, as the mediots are not on our side and Republicans are still struggling to convince voters to give them another chance, but I see a light at the end of this tunnel that is getting brighter by the day.

So, my t-totally awesome readers, how are you feeling about the State of the Conservative Union this evening?