Kerry-McCain in 2004?
Published May 29, 2004
Let's say you're this guy. A guy named John. You're a Vietnam veteran. No, much more than that, you're a bona-fide war hero. And now you're a member of the US Senate.
You had Presidential aspirations once, not too long ago, but they were thwarted. They were thwarted largely because of what you believe were the unsavory tactics of your main opponent in a Primary election in a small Southern state. That opponent went on to become President.
Now, "John", I want to ask you: What would be your ultimate revenge? Why, playing a major role in getting the President booted from office, of course!
That's why it isn't entirely implausible that the real-life John (McCain) may decide to ditch his party and run as fellow Vietnam veteran J. F. Kerry's running mate.
After all, the GOP elite has publicly dissed the guy, questioning his Republican credentials. And this recent poll suggests a Kerry-McCain ticket would trounce Bush-Cheney. In fact, McCain is widely considered to be the most popular politician in the US. Surely he has sway over Independent voters.
Senator McCain has been a strong critic of the Bush administration's fiscal policies (tax cuts that helped create a massive budget deficit). And he has refused to criticize Kerry on numerous occasions.
What, then, are the reasons that McCain has yet to switch sides and help bring down his nemesis?
First of all, he's been a life-long Republican. Such a flip-flop this late in his career would be viewed as totally opportunistic. Some voters might be turned off by a ticket comprised of two overt wafflers.
Second, just because a poll taken in May shows a hypothetical Kerry-McCain ticket winning in November doesn't mean this would actually be the case. McCain's many conservative positions would be brought into focus, angering the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. Despite their "Anybody But Bush" sentiment, some of these voters may flee to the Nader camp, doing damage to the Democrat's chances of winning that a more liberal pick would avoid.
Lastly, I'm just not sure John McCain really likes Senator Kerry very much. He expressed his disgust at the radical anti-Vietnam war protestors in Faith of My Fathers. And Kerry was one of the leaders of this movement.
(One wonders if McCain, who hasn't forgiven Bush for 2000, will be able to forgive Kerry for his actions and statements in the 1970s.)
I suspect McCain will remain a Republican, and Kerry will wind up choosing Senator John Edwards (D-NC) or Governor Bill Richardson (D-NM). But I won't rule the McCain factor out just yet. Nor should Karl Rove and the rightly-nervous Bush reelection team.
RJ Elliott is a graduate student studying Criminal Justice at the University Of Central Florida. His likes include nature, sports, and pierced blondes. He dislikes daytime television, left-wing dictators, and lead-tainted Chinese imports. He is ambivalent about Angelina Jolie.
- Kerry-McCain in 2004?
- Published: May 29, 2004
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- Section: Politics
- Filed Under: Culture: Media
- Writer: RJ Elliott
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Comments on this articleComments
I agree that he won't join Kerry, bhw. But this is probably his last chance at getting into the White House. In 2008, he'll be both old news, and just plain old.
It's now or never. McCain might take advantage of this opportunity. You never know...
Puh-lease! This fantasy only has currency because the New York Times ran a content-free, denial-rich story about it last week. IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!
That Dems even entertain the fantasy just goes to show the poverty of John Kerry's campaign and the desperation for victory. Bill Clinton really destroyed his party by warping it to serve his ends. Welcome to the hangover.
Reason four: If McCain becomes VP, the Republicans lose a Senate seat. Handing both the Presidency and the Senate to the Democrats wouldn't promote "two-party" government.
McCain seems to be more motivated by public service than by ambition, and he no doubt feels he can make a greater contribution as a Senator. Nor do the Democrats need McCain on the ticket to win; Bush is doing a perfectly good job of handing the election to Kerry.
The question is: would McCain accept the Republican nomination if the Party figured out a way to dump Bush?
No way the GOP dumps Bush now, unless he is "caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
See here: http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:7lFfjbLLzhgJ:www.fredmulhearn.com/unpubl.html+%22dead+girl%22+%22live+boy%22&hl=en
What with the Torricelli/Lautenburg swap and the California recall, politics are getting pretty wild in this country. For a while there I was worried the fuel shortage was going to tank the economy, which could have destroyed Bush. I tend to agree the odds are pretty low that he gets pushed out, but they're not zero.
For one thing, it depends on how a terrorist attack occurs if it occurs. Suicide bombers would be hard to stop and such an attack probably wouldn't reflect poorly on Bush. However, if they ship a dirty bomb in past our port security, then Bush is sunk. In that case, the Republicans might be willing to do anything just to hang on to any branch of government.
There's oil nearby, just about great caviar-and-cheese fests like the end of the answer would be "Not much" Kerry and his patriotism. Wel.
Let's talk about compassionate conservatism and what I believe, and the NAACP should en have tax exempt status anymore I don't need convincing. I used to be represented mainly by o political party? That's a legitimate question. (Applause.)
RE: Comment #7. Whaaaaaaat?
Add your comment, speak your mind
(Or ping: http://blogcritics.org/mt/tb/16092)
McCain and Kerry are friends with often very differing political points of view. But they've worked together on Vietname POW/MIA issues and other things.
I heard McCain being interviewed last week [I think] on NPR. He said he would not run with Kerry if asked because he believed in the 2-party system. He basically pledged allegiance to the Republican party and Bush, and said he'd rather try to change it from within.
Also, he noted that VPs have traditionally been ineffective [cited Cheney as an exception] and that he had achieved a high level of effectiveness as a Senator and wouldn't be able to duplicate it as VP.
But that's just what he said. What he'll do remains to be seen. My guess is that he won't join Kerry, but it would be very interesting if he did.