ABC: McCain “now seriously considering” Lieberman for VP

Hot Air ^ | 7/30/08 | Allahpundit

[pissant]

He’s going to transform the party — by turning us into hawkish Democrats? Nuance.

There’s a bigger point — and this initial volley, they say, lays the groundwork for it. They will be sharpening McCain’s message that he, not Obama, is the true change agent, a man who’s repeatedly taken unpopular stands, made the hard calls and forged bipartisan alliances.

Part of the calculus now is how his VP choice will further sharpen that message. There is significant support among top McCain advisers that he make a “transformative” pick who would change the Republican Party — someone who would appeal to moderate Republicans and Democrats…

A person who fills that bill, these advisers say, is Joe Lieberman.

Lieberman, an Independent Democrat, flatly denied his interest to ABC’s Ron Claiborne earlier this month, but McCain is now seriously considering him as that “transformative” pick, sources tell ABC News…

What’s more, some McCain advisers believe Lieberman would dramatically enhance the point they are now trying to make about Obama in this “celebrity” ad campaign.

McCain and Lieberman are anti-celebrities, the argument goes. They have, as one top adviser said, felt the heat after taking unpopular positions because they were willing to do “what’s right for the country” — whatever it meant for their own popularity.

Good news for that unpredictable five percent in the middle he needs to win, not so good for, er, everyone else in America. Are evangelicals going to vote for a guy who scored 100% on NARAL’s annual report card? Are Reagan conservatives jittery about McCain’s maverickiness going to feel reassured knowing Al Gore’s choice for VP is waiting in the wings? Is the left going to reach hitherto unscaled heights of apoplexy at the thought of the one pol they hate more than George Bush somehow ending up on the Republican ticket? (No, no, and yes, respectively, if you’re scoring at home.) Think of it in practical terms. Assume the worst happens and through some misfortune Vice President Lieberman becomes President Lieberman. Either the Democrats’ animus towards him results in hopeless gridlock in Congress or the breach is healed and we’ve got a lefty executive working with a lefty legislature towards common goals — Iraq excepted, of course. I like Liebs; I don’t like the idea. But the signs are there if you’re willing to look…

Exit question: Maybe the left, true to its proud tradition of honoring dissent, will forgive Joementum his apostasy? Hmmm.

[pissant]

Not when you decide you aren’t going to fight until Florida it won’t. LOL

[gathersnomoss]

My ass. Good try ABC.

[Nasher]

Is McCain trying to make history by running the worst campaign known to man while still having a shot at winning the presidency?

If it weren’t for the most inexperienced, radical opponent ever to run for office, McCain would be getting clobbered.

[Once-Ler]

If McCain’s VP does leak, it will be FOX who leaks it.

[AmericanInTokyo]

By the Republicans not nominating RINOs.

[sushiman]

The half-asleep brain dead majority of American voters will put Obama in the White House - the end of America . And you know something , I’m beginning to think we DESERVE it .

[ChildOfThe60s]

McCain will not pick Lieberman...

I'm pretty much inclined to agree. But I can't rule it out. I think McCain has some advisers that he shouldn't have. His campaign thus far is far from impressive.

I fear that he will pick a RINO at best. How are we going to feel knowing that if he's elected, four years from now we will have a liberal incumbent VP running as the Republican nominee?

McCain does not like conservatives. I don't believe he wants to have a conservative as a successor.

[eyedigress]

As you know the base was fractured between Thompson, Hunter, Tancredo, Huckabee, Guiliani and McCain. We are where we are and the option now is Ginsburg or Alito. (JMHO)

[Hildy]

NO way..now way..the press is just trying to piss off Conservatives...

[teletech]

Joe already lost once and he was running with a DemoncRAT. What makes McCain think he will do better running with McCain. Bad idea Sen. McCain. DON’T DO IT!

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

“A few weeks back I dreamed he picked Hillary.”

That’s wasn’t a dream.....that was a nightmare!

[Blackyce]

I seriously doubt he’d pick Lieberman, but I wouldn’t have a huge problem with it. IMO, if McCain thought he could get away with a pro-abort like Lieberman, he’d just nominate his buddy Tom Ridge. I’d rather see Lieberman than Ridge because we know for sure no Republican would be backing Lieberman for President after McCain.

In the abstract, it doesn’t really matter who has Veep is as long as McCain doesn’t die in the next 4-8 years. I like Lieberman(as a human being) better than anyone on his short list other than Jindal, and I’d just as soon not have Jindal tainted by McCain’s brand of Populism in any case. Let the man get some experience down there in LA and develop his own star.

All that being said, the smart money is still on Romney. He’s independently wealthy and he’s got pull in states that matter.

[DesScorp]

He won’t pick Joe as Veep, but I bet he puts him in the cabinet... probably as SecState. I’d back that in a heartbeat.

Veep is almost certainly going to be Pawlenty or Romney.

[Diogenesis]

The five states with least favorable business climates are Califorinia (lowest ranking), New York, Michigan, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

Oh yeah. Let's let Myth Romney ruin America like he did Massachusetts. [/s]

Romney was rated a "C" overall by Cato. Here are the facts.

As U.S. real output grew 13 percent between 2002 and 2006, Massachusetts trailed at 9 percent.
* Manufacturing employment fell 7 percent nationwide those years, but sank 14 percent under Romney, placing Massachusetts 48th among the states.
* Between fall 2003 and autumn 2006, U.S. job growth averaged 5.4 percent, nearly three times Massachusetts' anemic 1.9 percent pace.
* While 8 million Americans over age 16 found work between 2002 and 2006, the number of employed Massachusetts residents actually declined by 8,500 during those years.
"Massachusetts was the only state to have failed to post any gain in its pool of employed residents," professors Sum and McLaughlin concluded.
In an April 2003 meeting with the Massachusetts congressional delegation in Washington, Romney failed to endorse President Bush's $726 billion tax-cut proposal.
[Cato Institute annual Fiscal Policy Report Card - America's Governors, 2004.]

[aynrandfreak]

Always choose a VP that is further away from the center than you are. It discourages your political enemies from trying to take you down.

[AirForceGeorge]

I support Lieberman as VP. It needs to be pick that shifts the race. It needs to be a pick that totally separates McCain for Bush. It needs to be a pick that lets McCain make the case he is the real agent for change.

That narrows the field to a very short list. IMO that means Lieberman, Palin, Jindal, or perhaps Ridge. Palin would be a no brainer if she had a few more years in office. As it is someone as responsible as McCain who might face a health issue during the campaign probably shouldn't pick Palin. We should give her a major convention speech focused on drilling in Alaska and set her up for a future national ticket.

In this race McCain has at best a 1/3 chance. If he runs a conventional Republican/conservative campaign he loses. If he runs as a non-partisan independent he runs the risk of alienating conservatives and losing. But he must take this risk because the other path is clear as day.

This race will likely come down to whether or nor conservatives like those of us on this site allow McCain to be his maverick self and push our buttons. If we are smart enough to see Obama for the disaster he would be and cut McCain loose we may be able to save the country from going off a cliff. If we are too stubborn to let this happen we lose and god knows what happens.

McCain is fighting a massive uphill battle. If he wins this election it will be one of the most incredible come back stories in history. Bad economy, unpopular incumbent, energized opposition, he's under-funded, a media that's even more biased than usual (incredible that is even possible). We need to give McCain some room here because he needs to catch a break somewhere.

[Blackyce]

Any particular reason why this was addressed to me? And isn’t anti-Romney propaganda a little long in the tooth at this point in any case? McCain could nominate his wife for Veep for all it matters in terms of policy.

[Tramonto]

He should just pick Obama. There isn’t a rule against Obama being on both tickets is there?

This way, all the undecideds can just vote for McCain and Obama at the same time.

[Snurple]

Id take Lieberman over obama any day of week.

[Liberty2007]

McCain MUST pick a woman, IMHO.

Olympia Snowe if he must lol If you guys say Palin is a conservative why ruin her by being Mccain's candidate...of course the liberals want mccain choosing a conservative...if he wins they knock out the next conservative....no one would come out looking good being mccains vp.