Does McCain Have A Northern Strategy?

What amazes me most about this campaign season is the rapidity of which changes, especially radical changes, are happening. Just as it looked like McCain and Romney couldn’t even standing being on the same planet together, Romney reaches out to McCain and goes as far as to pledge his committed delegates to him. I have some observations about this and other developments over the last week.
Romney just proved that he is very astute and wants to wield some authority and leverage. Two weeks ago I said that McCain had to nominate a strong southern conservative as his running mate. As I analyze data I may see a need to reassess that and it fits Romney perfectly. Being as the effort to bring together the Republicans and so many conservatives coming forth with endorsements, it is clear that the divisions are being healed. Even Rush Limbaugh, one of McCain’s most vehement opponents and critics made some sort of a turnabout even admitting that he had this in mind all along. As I had said before, I viewed his and other’s vilification of McCain as an attempt to create a panic and highlight the need to forge alliances and push the agenda further to the right.
I am beginning to see that it may not be necessary to have a strong southern conservative on the ticket because as long as this fence mending continues as stridently as it is, McCain will have nothing to worry about in the south and west. However, information is emerging that portends trouble for him elsewhere. As much as they like to talk about Florida as being the swing state, in reality it is Ohio. Today Ohio is immersed in serious economic decline with no hope for improvement prior to the election. So despite its having a weakly organized Democrat party, Ohio is seriously in jeopardy of getting it in the Republican column. Those electoral votes are sorely needed so where can they be replaced? I propose that the strategists may be looking to Michigan for that. After all, as it was Michigan was actually not all that bad for Bush the last two elections. Although he lost there, it wasn’t a blowout. Being as McCain won that primary in 2000 and retains some popularity there, it is Romney’s home state which obviously still likes him as his father was its governor 40 years ago. So this may be their gamble. Also, with Romney being popular in New England he may show well in some of those states, and even might have an outside shot at Massachusetts since he was a very popular governor there recently. That is admittedly a long shot but not so long a shot as many might think.
So given the drastic and swift changes in developments all bets are off, but from what I am seeing are subtle and not so subtle hints at what might be going on in the upper echelons of the Republican party.