McCain was not my candidate. Not originally. His close ties to, and having worked with very liberal democrats had me worried. Once it was clear that he was going to be the Republican nominee, he was the best of what was left. Let's face it, the Democrats were choosing a nominee that didn't believe he was ready to run on a national ticket. Even Obama's running mate, Joe Biden, doesn't believe he is ready, and in fact would have preferred to run with John McCain. Hillary Clinton also chose McCain over Obama.
What won me over? Was it 2000 Democratic VP candidate turned Independent Senator Joe Lieberman's endorsement speech for John McCain? After all, the Democrats still think well enough about Lieberman to have placed him in a leadership position as an important committee chairman. His speech was convincing, specifically the line about how McCain could anger his own party, but he was doing it because of what he believed in.
Was it Rudy Giuliani's fantastic speech, where he compared the resumes of the two Presidential candidates? The first candidate, John McCain has an extensive list of accomplishments and experience and even some things that provide a "Wow" moment. The second candidate, Barak Obama, his biggest experience has been to vote present rather than make decisions on important issues, which was the job he was hired to do. Obama has never led anything and, in fact, has been doing nothing more than running for the next highest office ever since being elected to the Illinois legislature.
Maybe it was Fred Thompson telling the fantastic biography of John McCain, including his tenure as a POW. He contrasted that with the description of Obama as the most Liberal and inexperienced Presidential candidate ever, but may be a good match for the Democratic congress, which is the most unpopular congress in history.
Could it have been McCain running mate Sarah Palin? She was engaging, funny, and extremely comfortable in her speech to the RNC. McCain has made a tremendous choice for a running mate. She has leadership experience and is a serious reformer. Her record for ethics reform and standing up to special interests in her time as Governor is a testament to a good leader. She was very good at hitting Obama at his weak points with shots while smiling and having fun. My favorite line was when she said, "I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities."
Possibly it was McCain's own speech to the RNC that got to me. After a tremendous build up by the speakers leading up to the candidates acceptance speech, my expectations were pretty flat. How could he possibly perform as the Headliner when the warm up acts provided headliner performances? But he did it. He knocked it out of the park. I particularly liked hearing him discuss how he has worked with members of both parties to do what he felt was important. It is for this reason that Democrats like Senator Feingold of Wisconsin, as well as Ted Kennedy, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden consider him a friend and someone they enjoyed working with and consider him ready to lead.
So what won me over? It was a combination of all the above. While the Republican platform and ideals are what I most closely identify with, it is the person at the top of the ticket that I have to believe will follow through on those commitments while leading and protecting this country. That is why I am proud to endorse John McCain as our next President.