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| Supporters say McCain and Palin have to show strong leadership [GALLO/GETTY] |
Al Jazeera spoke to four Republicans about their views on John McCain, their candidate for president, how he can beat Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate, and whether he should distance himself from George Bush, the incumbent US president.
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Randy Pullman, chairman of Arizona Republican party, friend of McCain
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"You just have to look at who John McCain has picked to be his vice-presidential nominee to understand that he has always been about change and that he has been an outsider in Washington.
Most Americans care about the things that John McCain cares about.
He is going to bring to the American people his knowledge of how to make decisions. You saw that with the situation in Georgia - he was very quick to say 'this is where we need to be on this issue'.
What voters are looking for in terms of economic issues, healthcare issues and all issues is that, when you have a time of crisis, someone is making the decisions that has been there before and will take care of the American people.
Shared beliefs
I don't think he really needs to distance himself from George Bush. George Bush demonstrated earlier this week with the way Hurricane Gustav was handled that things didn't go right with Hurricane Katrina and that things needed to change.
McCain has made many appearances with George Bush, including a couple in Arizona recently.
We share the same ideas - that lower taxes are better and that having more money in our pockets is better, we believe in free markets and less government - all ideas that are contrary to the Democrats.
These are all principles that I believe in and that George Bush believes in - and for good or for worse McCain is tied to George Bush because those are his beliefs as well.
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Lenny McCallister, African-American delegate from North Carolina
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"McCain has a VP [vice-presidential] candidate who went out last night and rocked the house.
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| Palin 'will bring an everyday America feel' to the campaign [AFP] |
He has to show that he is the candidate with the foreign experience. If he tries to focus on domestic issues, people will point to his twenty-something years in the senate overseeing those things.
That's where the 'change' campaign comes back into play - he has to focus overseas where he can say 'I was right about Russia'.
He has to point to examples of where his foreign policy experience trumps that of Joe Biden [the Democratic vice-presidential candidate].
Sarah Palin is going to bring an 'everyday America' feel to the campaign.
People believe in Barack Obama because they believe in his ideals and they like Joe Biden because he has been there forever.
Palin is someone who is new, who is young, who can relate to suburban America.
'Country-club' image?
That may not resonate with African-Americans so much this year, but the goal is to encourage them to vote Republican at other levels of government.
The nomination of Palin, who has family issues like everyday America does, shows that the party is becoming more inclusive and is moving away from the 'country-club' Republican image and back to the working-class, small government, big-tent philosophy that could broaden the conservative base.
McCain needs to move away from George Bush and the fact that Bush wasn't here to give his final speech helped McCain.
He has to show that he is a leader - that he has experiences that George Bush has not.
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John Ruberry, Marathonpundit blog from Illinois
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To beat Barack Obama, John McCain needs to emphasise his experience and that of his running-mate Sarah Palin.
She is the only candidate of the four who has public-office executive experience having run the largest state in terms of land-mass for the last 18 months.
A big issue, especially where I live, that McCain should focus on is fuel prices and utilising our limited oil resources offshore.
What conservative bloggers call the 'drill now, drill here, pay less' position.
McCain should emphasise that he has had run-ins with President Bush, most famously during the 2000 election, but most recently two years ago when McCain supported a troop surge in Iraq despite opposition from Bush and Donald Rumsfeld, his defence secretary at the time.
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Skye Ciolko, author of Midnight Blue blog, Democrat supporting McCain
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"He has to compare and contrast himself and his leadership with that of Barack Obama.
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Sarah Palin is going to bring energy and excitement to the race ... she is shattering that final glass barrier for women"
Skye Ciolko, blogger and McCain supporter
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Obama speaks fluently but uses very empty words.
I think McCain needs to focus on energy policy, and his success in Iraq, and his commitment to the country and the way he has forged bipartisan alliances with Democrats.
We've had two years with a congress that has not done the job and that was all based on partisan politics.
I like McCain because he is a maverick and I really identify with that.
Sarah Palin is going to bring energy and excitement to the race.
She has problems in her family just like I have and I really identify with her.
She is shattering that final glass barrier for women.
McCain isn't really that much like George Bush so he doesn't really need to disassociate himself from him."
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