While walking my dog Daisy this morning I entertained an unusual fantasy. I considered for a moment the political free-fall of John McCain in his quest for the Republican nomination for the office of President. I considered the political marginalization of Joe Liebermann, a Democrat who ran for the office of Vice President alongside Al Gore in 2000 and who, in 2006, was forced to run as an “Independent” to retain his Senate seat after being tossed aside by members of his own party in favor of someone else.
Neither man meets my criteria for a perfect candidate for the Presidency or Vice Presidency of the United States. Yet I admire them both and believe that they have much to offer us as a nation currently more divided than we ought to be . . . at least among our representative leaders in national government.
As I pondered this matter I wondered what would happen if these two men joined together in running together as Independents for the office of President (John McCain) and Vice President (Joe Lieberman) of the United States.
Would I endorse such a candidacy? No, I don’t think I would.
Would I consider such a candidacy to be a good thing for the United States and the upcoming Presidential campaign? Yes . . . most certainly, Yes!
To my mind it would force the major candidates towards the middle ground. If done well it could raise the level of conversation to a higher level of respect and substance than we have seen in many years.
Could a McCain/Lieberman ticket win? Once again my answer is, No, I don’t think it would even come close. But I believe that they could draw far more votes away from both parties than Ross Perot did in 1992. And certainly more than Nader in 2000.
I’d still like to see it happen! What about you?
What follows is my fantasy as to what their public announcement to run together might look like. In my fantasy the paragraphs would be spoken responsively between the two men.
I invite you to read what I have written and consider whether you can imagine these two men sharing these words together before a national audience.
Location: South steps of the U. S. Capitol Building
We are two United States Senators, John McCain, a Republican, and Joe Lieberman, a Democrat, who are divided by our party affiliation but united in our love for the United States of America.
Article comments
1 - RJ Elliott
Great post.
I believe that McCain's numbers in the polls will continue to tumble. He will soon come to the realization that he has no shot at the GOP nomination. Once he realizes this, I'd put the odds at about 50-50 of him running as an Independent. And if he does, Joe Lieberman is the obvious choice for VP.
As for how they'd do, I think they'd get 25% or so of the vote. Their support would obviously come from moderate Republicans, conservative Democrats, and Independents. But overall I think their candidacy would mostly harm the GOP's nominee, and therefore benefit the Democrat nominee. After all, the GOP nominee would presumably be pro-war, as would McCain-Lieberman. So the Democrat nominee would be the sole anti-war candidate, and would win with about 40% of the vote, but in an Electoral College landslide.
Anyway, that's how I see this shaping up. Again, great post.
2 - Dave Nalle
I don't see Lieberman taking the 2nd spot to McCain, but if your scenario did play out, good riddance. The faster those two fascists can plunge into third party obscurity the better.
Dave
3 - Lee Richards
Dave,
I don't care for either of these ego-driven & opportunistic guys, but I'm wondering: what does fascism have to do with them in your mind?
4 - AustinTexasBevo
McCain/Lieberman will never happen... You can't get clobbered in the primaries and run effectively as an independent (see John Anderson)... but on lighter note, Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez did an interview with the LA Times wearing only pants and a black bra.
5 - Jared Wright
Uh, Bevo, did you or did you not watch Lieberman win his senate seat after getting smacked around in the Democratic primary? C'mon now...
Not that I think such a ticket would win. People seem to want fruitful discussion from opposing sides before the election, then a solid, consistent vision from whoever wins. Having the top two execs of the U.S. government approaching from contrary viewpoints and having any measure of success is too Utopian for reality. The idea of the top two not being firmly aligned with one of the two parties is an intriguing idea indeed, but such an independent platform couldn't be founded on two people each offering something from one of the two parties, which is what this basically boils down to. No matter what they label themselves as, we all think of McCain as republican and Lieberman as a democrat.
6 - Vicki McCollum
I'd like to see them run together, not as independents, but as Republicans. I think they'd have a good chance. Leiberman would be a calming influence on McCain.
7 - Dave Nalle
I'd like to see them run together too - at high speed and head first.
Dave
8 - MCH
And I'd like to see you go on a hunting trip with Dick Cheney...when he's NOT wearing his glasses.
9 - Michael J. West
Nice post - but fat chance.
10 - dbw
The responses to this post illustrate why there are only two parties and they are diametrically opposed to eachother. What ever happen to the idea of individual liberty/responsibility coexisting with promoting the common good? Rational discussion is dead, our republic will follow sooner or later.