The VPs from Hell
While rumors of a “Vice President Condi” are afloat, Philip Giraldi informs us that a deal might be in the works for a McCain-Lieberman nightmare:
To turn himself into a one-man bridge over troubled political waters, McCain will reportedly insist that his vice president be Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a lifelong Democrat who currently calls himself an independent. Lieberman endorsed McCain at the end of December and campaigned actively on his behalf in New Hampshire, Michigan, South Carolina, and Florida. In Florida he spoke to numerous Jewish groups around Miami, emphasizing McCain’s support for Israel. Photos of McCain campaigning frequently feature Lieberman standing in the background. Joe Lieberman is also no social conservative, so he and McCain should get along just fine on most issues. Sources in Washington believe that Lieberman will conveniently become a Republican to gain the GOP’s acceptance.
In considering this, it’s worth revisiting David Brooks’s “Party No. 3” bad idea he proffered just before the ’06 elections. Here he envisioned national unity and an end to partisan bickering in the form of the big-government status quo (wee!), more Middle East wars (horay!), and, in case you weren’t already convinced, “comprehensive immigration reform” (I’m lovin’ it!). Within Brook’s well-insulated neoconnish world this is exactly what America is looking for. Three months later, the Democrats, not “Party No. 3,” took power on promises of “ending the war,” and little else.
Brooks’s “Party No. 3” platform seems a pretty good approximation of what to expect from a McCain-Lieberman presidency: no structural reform whatsoever, lots of talk of combating nefarious “Earmarks” (which make up, by the way, less than 2% of the federal budget); “bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran,” and perhaps some winks and nods to “the culture of life” that have no bearing whatsoever.
This sounds dreadful, but I don’t think it’s particularly probable. The McCain-Lieberman deal would have taken place before the “talk-radio rebellion” reached its heights and Rush, Mark Levin, and Hannity withheld their support from a McCain candidacy. Yes, it’s easy to dismiss all this (as Paul has forcefully done), observing that movement conservatives have no where else to go but back home to GOP and that most of them love McCainian foreign policy anyway.
Still, it’s undeniable that the talk-radio rebellion has had a great effect in weakening support for McCain. The AP reports that 51% of avid talk-radio listeners voted for Huckabee; whereas 57% of non-“Great Americans” went for McCain.
This is all rather odd since before Rush & Co. were attacking McCain, they went after Huckabee as a kind of pro-life John Edwards.
Nevertheless, the fact remains that McCain still has not received a majority in any primary, hitting a high of 50% in a virtual two-man race in Virginia, and he thus needs to rally the base, many of whom looks to Rush as a their primary source of news.
This doesn’t mean that McCain would select anyone good in Lierbman’s stead. The Huckster is probably out of the question: he didn’t much help his VP chances when he scolded Bush for his “bunker mentality” and spoke of a national “attitude adjustment” (not that a Huckabeean foreign policy has much to offer Realists, however).
I sense that we should start preparing ourselves for something really terrible like Sam Brownback.
Brownback endorsed McCain early, well before his comeback and Rudy’s collapse, and this risky investment might pay dividends.
There’s also a certain logic to the choice. McCain could win over social conservatives, many of whom are currently voting for Huckabee, with promises of ending abortion and defending marriage (and other things Republicans never actually get around to doing). More importantly, in Brownback McCain could find a partner whose foreign policy is just as insane as his own.
Brownback seems to have a genuine opposition to abortion, but then his particular “social conservatism” actually amounts to a rather fantastical globalism worthy of the name Obama. Brownback’s “Whole Life” philosophy means that he adopts the respectable Catholic position of opposing abortion and the death penalty—but then from there, he concludes that the U.S. must lead a UN-NATO intervention in Darfur. He proposed just this in a Washington Post op-ed co-written with a certain junior senator from Illinois. Interventionists of the Left seem to really like Brownback.
All this is to say that as VP, Brownback would be put to good use applying a “Christian” patina on an indefinite occupation of Iraq, strategic bombing of Iran, and other misadventures. McCain could thus rally the Rambo wing of the GOP coalition as well as bring on board the evangelicals.
With Brownback, I could also imagine the talk-radio rebellion against McCain collapsing into self-satisfaction. Rush and friends might interpret the choice of Brownback as proof that they’re relevant, that the GOP must take them seriously, and that McCain, against his better wishes, was forced to put a “real conservative” on the ticket. Or perhaps they’d remember that Brownback voted for “comprehensive” immigration reform (before he voted against it) and recognize this pro-life Obama for what he is.
Whether it’s Condi, Lieberman, Brownback, or Huckabee, I can’t imagine coming home to the GOP in November.
Comments
This all sounds highly plausible, and whatever
my deep moral reservations may be about the johnny-come-
lately critics of the GOP on talkradio,
Richard is probably correct that their protest
squelched the chances for a Mac-Lieberman ticket.
Brownback would make more sense than Joe
as Mac’s running mate, and he would probably be at
least as dangerous as an advocate for global
democratic imperialism.
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McCain-Lieberman: if this combination doesn’t
scare you, check for a pulse.
People foolish enough to think that McCain is
the best man for the job ought to look closely
at his eventual running mate. If the rumors are
true, he’s one conniption fit away from popping a
blood vessel and going to the great Oval Office
in the sky.
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Other than curiosity, it makes little to no difference who McCrazed chooses as his running mate. We can be sure that person will be a war party fear mongerer.
On the subject of Leiberman, let it not be forgotten that he was once floated as a “bipartisan” choice to replace Rummy. SecDef in a McCain administration anyone?
Think also of the opportunities for a “surge” in neocon ranks if the only guy more loony with war fever than Bush gets in.
Man alive, we could get Wolfie back, Perle, Ledeen and in case your stomach is REALLY strong, perhaps he could persuade Richard Cheney to become his CIA Director. Think of the possibilties if you can write the books instead of cooking them.
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While turning off many conservatives, a McCain-Lieberman ticket would be strong against Democrats (either Hillary or B.Husein Obama. Much money and strong jewish support in N.E and Florida would be redirected away from Dems ticket. From standpoint of Republicans pols and neo-cons, it makes sense. Conservatives, SIT on your hands and retain some honor.
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Don’t forget Lieberman’s inevitable choice for the combined office of Secretary of the Environment & Imperial Planetologist.
The former next running mate can already afford to return to public service.
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I’ve been very skeptical about the idea of Lieberman on the ticket. Wasn’t that the guy who was supposed to “deliver” Florida to Gore? My guess is that he’ll end-up in the Pentagon. Brownback makes a lot of sense, if, indeed, you want to rally the conservatives against “Islamo-Fascism.” But I suppose that there is a long list of religious-conservative and/or southern-conservative figures that he could select as a way of appeasing the conservative base. Also I think that a lot of attention would be focused on the Hispanic vote in key states like California, Florida, Texas, etc. especially if Obama is selected by the Democrats (In fact, Obama could lose the Democratic nomination because of the lack of Hispanic support in Texas). So McCain might go for one of his pals in Florida.
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Jeb Bush?
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Is it too vain for us to dream of Ron Paul for VP? He’d win Texas and probably Florida for the electoral college for J. McCain. He already has Lieberman’s help for Florida, so his VP choice is going to be someone who will win one of the to key states you need to win the Presidency: Florida and Ohio. Indeed, Florida, Ohio, Texas, and Tennessee are the key states for this election (the Republican nominee should spend zero time in New York and California and just concede it to the Democrats).
VP picks are based on Electoral College pick-up. Huckabee and Brownback might fly for the popular vote, but don’t win any states for the nominee other than their own. Lieberman might seal a Florida win, but doesn’t help for Ohio or Michigan.
On a “gains for the electoral college” basis Romney or Ron Paul might actually be McCain’s better bets.
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I’ve noticed almost zero talk about a 3rd party, which indicates the Right has decided to vote for McCain no matter what or who the V_P is. Conservatives pride themselves on being good little soldiers who will fall in line.
McCain will make his selection without consideration of the right, and is primary criteria will be hawkish foreign policy & help in battleground states. Everything else is background noise.
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He can’t take brownback. too honest. he needs a dyed in the wool beltway dinosaur like himself.
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You didn’t mention Condi. She failed as national security adviser with her “who woulda thought” mantra both before 9-11 and in failing to co-ordinate a winning strategy for post-war Iraq. The latter being her job to do or to get Bush to do. Having failed miserably at this she is promoted to Sec of State where she has failed to get anything at all done. She did give cover for Olmert’s month long war crime in Lebanon which only showed that Israel is even more vulnerable than the US. Being a complete incompetent is the ticket for success in Republican-land. She makes white boys cringe though so she would be a good affirmative action token to counter Barak and Billary. Especially Billary since most black voters would think she is a positive role model and a credit to her race.
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There’s an organized inernet push for Haley Barbour right now.
Conservative, southerner, governor, TV savvy.
I wonder what his take on the war would be.
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I SUSPECT THAT MCCAIN WILL MORE LIKELY NAME JOE LIEBERMAN (IND. TEL AVIV) SECRETARY OF STATE OR DEFENSE. A VICE-PRESIDENT LIEBERMAN WOULD OPEN THE DEBATE TO THE SUBJECT OF DUAL-LOYALTY. THE NEOCONS HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL WITH PROMINENT GENTILES AS SPOKESPERSONS FOR THEIR ZIONIST AGENDA (BUSH, CHENEY, LIMBAUGH, HANNITY, O’REILLY, COULTER, ETC.). MOREOVER, TOGETHER WITH THE TABOO AGAINST DISCUSSION OF JEWISH INFLUENCE ON THIS NATION’S FOREIGN POLICY, THE PUBLIC REMAINS COMPLETELY IGNORANT OF THE NEOCONS. THUS, WE ARE FIGHTING IN IRAQ AND THREATENING IRAN BECAUSE OF THE GRAVE THREAT OF “ISLAMO-FASCISM” AND NOT TO MAKE THE MIDDLE EAST SAFE FOR ISRAEL.
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I don’t think anyone of substance would accept the position of VP in a Mcain adminstration. seriously. would you accept it? The trick will be finding someone with conservative crednetials who unbeknowst to most people is a complete bastard.
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I wouldn’t vote McCain if he was neck and neck with a Pol Pot/Hannibal Lecter ticket. It doesn’t matter who his running mate or opposition is. A write-in for Paul is the best protest choice available.
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