The Candidates
The last few posts had got me a thinkin’ about possible v.p. picks for McCain, and then I stumbled across this doozy from the Newter. Here’s Rubin’s report:
Newt Gingrich in an interview on “Good Morning America” threw out names including Sanford, Florida Governor Charlie Crist (who helped McCain secure Florida but is looked upon with suspicion by conservatives), and former Arkansas Governor and still-rival Mike Huckabee. He even suggested a “unity ticket” with Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman.
This man has blown any little cred he had left, or at least any last little bit of good will I had left for him. Methinks Newt wants the GOP to lose so he can run in 2012.
February 13th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
If Newt thinks he can run for President in 2012, than he is a damned fool.
February 13th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
I have already come to the conclusion that he is a damned fool.
February 13th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
You know, I thought of Lieberman as McCain’s ultimate Screw You to conservatives.
I noted the other night that while he was prattling on about how conservative he is, he only had two people standing beside him. One of them- just over his right shoulder- was Joe Lieberman. Talk about the image betraying the words. What the hell was his campaign thinking!?!?! Send the guy out to espouse his conservative bona fides with his best-friend-in-the-whole-world-Joe-Lieberman hovering over him??????
February 13th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
In fairness to Newt, I doubt these were all endorsements, just possible picks. He may have been trying to guess what the McCain camp was thinking. Did he say they would all be GOOD picks?
February 13th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
Lieberman already has said several times that his support for McCain was in the primaries only, not the general election. Besides, not even McCain would be so dumb as to pick a liberal Democrat for his VP. Like many in the media who call themselves analysts, Newt says things to get headlines. This is just another example. It’s best just to ignore these comments.
February 13th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
I agree with you Tommy. He’s flipped his lid.
February 13th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Tommy,
He’s analyzing the chances of who McCain could pick, not suggesting Lieberman. The segment is on ABC’s website. Not only was it not an endorsement but just a prediction, but it was his longshot prediction as well. Given the context, I think he’s right. There is a longshot possibility McCain opts for a unity ticket.
Besides, what is your huge problem with Gingrich? You’ve been saying he’s lost all credibility with you for about six to seven times already.
February 14th, 2008 at 12:11 am
Sanford - Decent idea but probably not going to happen. Not sure Sanford is interested.
Crist - Descent idea but doesn’t do a whole lot for the conservative base and I really don’t see anyone getting fired up over Charlie Crist.
Huckabee or Lieberman - The McCain campaing is dead the minute such a scenario emerges.
February 14th, 2008 at 12:13 am
alaska jake…where did Lieberman say his support was just for the primaries? I’m pretty sure it was for the whole thing.
February 14th, 2008 at 12:29 am
Andrew. . . I’ll have to search for the quote, but I remember watching Foxnews maybe in early January and at the end of a story about McCain and Lieberman being friends they mentioned that Lieberman has made it clear he was not endorsing McCain for the whole thing, just for the primaries. He would make his general election endorsement later in the campaign.
February 14th, 2008 at 12:35 am
* That’s not to say Lieberman won’t endorse McCain in the general. I do know that Lieberman expressed interest in speaking at the GOP convention, and he lost his superdelegate vote in the Dem race. It’s entirely possible - probable - that he in fact already made it clear since that report I saw on Fox that he will support McCain all the way.
February 14th, 2008 at 1:05 am
Wrong - he’s endorsed him for President.
February 14th, 2008 at 1:26 am
These are pretty pat suggestions. Nothing we haven’t heard. Of course, 2 of the 4 are absolute non-starters-Lieberman and Crist. I’m actually starting to wonder if Huckabee might not make a pretty solid VP pick for McCain. Prior to Romney’s exit, McCain’s strength was among lower income voters. Now, in 1 on 1 match-ups, these folks are going primarily to Huckabee. This suggests to me that Huckabee’s appeal to working class voters is fairly deep. Despite Huck’s liberalism, this could potentially come in handy. Even now, with the Big Mo, and a fatally wounded Hillary candidacy, Obama’s not a natural drawer of lower income, working class voters. It’s not at all inconceivable to me that a McCain/Huckabee ticket would fatally wound Obama with this demographic.
February 14th, 2008 at 1:27 am
If he’s going to pick a Democrat, may I suggest Harold Ford, Jr., who has the advantage of being Obam’s moderate doppelganger, and is pro-life and voted for the Iraq war.
February 14th, 2008 at 1:32 am
On #13. if only huckabee hadn’t given so many indications that he’s moderate to liberal on a variety of economic issues and foreign policy in general, i would agree. he’d be a risky pick, but maybe that’s what we need (kind of like the Suns needing the shaq trade).
February 14th, 2008 at 1:34 am
asparagus,
Harold Ford would be a better choice, but he’s the head the DLC and deeply unlikely to jump ships. If there’s going to be a unity ticket at all, my money is on Obama/Huckabee. It makes far too much sense to not be considered.
February 14th, 2008 at 1:38 am
Are you suggesting a reallignment of Christian conservatives into the Democratic Party? I don’t see that happenning, but then again, nothing this election has played out according to plan.
February 14th, 2008 at 1:54 am
asparagus,
I’ve been delving into exit poll data over the last few days, and by far the biggest loss for Republicans, between 2004 and 2006, came among evangelicals. There was a 40 point swing away from the GOP. I think Obama/Huckabee would hasten this shift for obvious reasons.
February 14th, 2008 at 3:41 am
Oh, come on, who HASN’T thought of Lieberman as a possible Veep choice?
It would be a good general election move, to just tell all the Limbaughs and Coulters that they can take him or leave him but that he’s going to be who he is… which is what people have liked about him before.
I’m not saying I’d like it. I wouldn’t.
But I could see it happening, and so can Newt. As an astute political observer/commentator, he’d be an idiot not to mention the possibility.
February 14th, 2008 at 4:50 am
What makes people think that a “unity” ticket with a liberal Democrat jumping over to our side would attract Democratic voters who already have a liberal candidate in their own party for whom they can vote? Other than the War/Security issue, Lieberman is a diehard liberal, always has been. There’s a reason we’ve never had a unity ticket run for office (with the one-time Civil War exception): Unity tickets don’t work. They sound great on paper, but there is no way two candidates with diametrically opposing philosophies can serve on the same ticket successfully. And why should they? Are we actually going to say that the GOP is so void of any good people that we have to recruit one from another party?
February 14th, 2008 at 8:20 am
I agree. Lieberman would be a terrible running mate. McCain’s running mate should be a pro-life Republican.
February 14th, 2008 at 8:47 am
The question is: Would any of you vote for a McCain/Lieberman ticket? I wouldn’t. Heck, I won’t vote for McCain anyway…Is a matter of principles.
February 14th, 2008 at 9:01 am
Heck, Lieberman is just a breath away from becoming a Republican anyway. Just like Kerry thought about McCain, I’m sure McCain has thought about Lieberman. I wouldn’t vote for him. In fact as an Independant I’m seriously thinking about going over to the Dem side. Or maybe sit this one out. Of course my body may go to the polls anyway because I’ve never missed an election since I’ve been able to vote.
February 14th, 2008 at 9:03 am
Choice 1: Moderate homosexual
Choice 2: Democrat-turned-independent
Choice 3: Pro-life liberal
Next!
February 14th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Heck, Lieberman is just a breath away from becoming a Republican anyway. Just like Kerry thought about McCain, I’m sure McCain has thought about Lieberman. I wouldn’t vote for him. In fact as an Independant I’m seriously thinking about going over to the Dem side. Or maybe sit this one out. Of course my body may go to the polls anyway because I’ve never missed an election since I’ve been able to vote.
“Lieberman is just a breath away from becoming a Republican” — utter nonsense. He’s still a committed liberal, except on the war issue.
I would not vote for McCain/Lieberman.
McCain-Giuliani, baby!
February 14th, 2008 at 9:36 am
I saw Newt on Fox last night and he said he is an independent now, at least that was my impression. He’s big on “change” and advises McCain and the GOP to get on the change bandwagon.
Over on Larry King David Frum pretty much said the same thing, but he was pretty pessimistic about McCain’s chances.
I have always been suspicious that Obama was going to choose a moderate republican as VP and Huckabee is quite a possibility. But the problem is Huckabee is ardently pro-life and NARAL and NOW would go crazy.
February 14th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Sanford’s a good suggestion. If it’s McCain-Sanford with a promise to cut federal spending by a net twelve digits, I might just vote for that.
February 14th, 2008 at 9:38 am
I have always been suspicious that Obama was going to choose a moderate republican as VP and Huckabee is quite a possibility. But the problem is Huckabee is ardently pro-life and NARAL and NOW would go crazy.
Why the hell would Obama pick a moderate Republican VP?
Put down the Obama Kool-Aid and start thinking about who Obama ACTUALLY is, as opposed to what Plouffe wants you to think.
February 14th, 2008 at 9:57 am
#25 TLG,
I don’t know why more people aren’t talking about McCain/Giuliani…Rudy is more conservative than Crist, Pawlenty and of course, Lieberman. HE IS A BEAST and would be great in the VP debate against ANY democrat. He could be ‘the enforcer’, with McCain as the figure head. I think his reputation as a hard nose, no nonsense guy would give the ticket the edge it needs. I also think conservatives would look past his moderate social views if it meant they had a chance to defeat the most liberal senator in the land.
February 14th, 2008 at 10:21 am
TLG,
Your thinking when it comes to Obama is too emotional (ironic I know). Since Iowa Obama has been reaching out to republicans and independents in every stump speech. That’s not because he thinks he can get more than a sliver of republicans, but instead because it reinforces his message. What better way to show he means it than to actually offer the spot to a republican (even if the republican turns it down)? Better still, if he gets a republican to join him the media will go beserk. An actual unity ticket would be hard to oppose.
February 14th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Axel G,
Agreed. Obama will have only 1 potential difficulty in terms of his base; and that’s attracting the blue collar, lower income voters that constitute Hillary’s base. Huckabee is better then anyone I know in the Democratic party at attracting these folks. So, Obama would have absolutely no base troubles with a Huckabee pick and he’d gain alot of ground among independents, evangelicals, and liberal Republicans.
February 14th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Obama would choose Edwards before he would choose Huckabee. No one on the left would choose Huckabee.
February 14th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
sen. Phil Gramm meets McCains criteria. Ready to take over at a moments notice and conservative and economy credintials.