Will John McCain meet with James Dobson? He should if he wants to win in November.

I found the following from Bob Novack:

An invitation for Sen. John McCain to meet with evangelical leader James Dobson at his Focus on the Family headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo., so far has been rebuffed by the McCain campaign.

Dobson has indicated he cannot support McCain for president. His opposition reflects continued resistance to the prospective presidential nominee among Christian conservatives. They take issue with McCain’s current positions on stem cell research, immigration and global warming, as well as his past sponsorship of campaign finance reform.

Many of Dobson’s followers are looking beyond 2008 to seek a new leader of the conservative movement for the 2012 election.

This is a big mistake on the part of John McCain. Some conservatives and some Christians may say that James Dobson is no longer relevant, but I think they are sorely mistaken. Dobson is still one of the biggest voices for evangelicals (and even many conservative Catholics) in America.

Many conservative Christians are less than excited about McCain, and quite a few remain undecided as to what they will do this November. Like it or not, faith based voters still make up a big part of the Republican party. I do not believe that winning the election is possible without energizing this key group. Not only are faith based voters numerous, but they are passionate and dependable voters. McCain has a long ways to go to solidify this base and the more he tries to appeal to the moderates and even the left, the more alienated people are going to feel.

McCain has recently distanced himself from two evangelical pastors, John Hagee and Rod Parsley. I addressed the Hagee issue previously, and Rod Parsley has been lambasted over comments he made about Islam and the (very real) violence associated with it. I believe both pastors are guilty of violating the insane politically correct environment that surrounds politics today. But, I’ve yet to see evidence that either of the pastors are guilty of any wrong doing or “hate speech.”  Then again I don’t know either pastor or their sermons well enough to vouch for them. I do think the comparisons being made between these pastors and the hateful Black Liberation Theology preached by Barack Obama’s spiritual mentor, Reverend Wright, are far fetched and ridiculous.

McCain’s dismissal of Parsley and Hagee may or may not hurt him with evangelicals. Dismissing James Dobson could be devastating. Dobson is far more influential and mainstream among Christians compared with the other two. McCain simply must meet with Dr. Dobson, I don’t see how he can win the election without doing so.