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Posted on 08/19/2008 12:17:41 PM PDT by GOPGuide
John McCain is seriously considering choosing a pro-abortion-rights running mate despite vocal resistance from conservatives, with former Democratic vice presidential nominee Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) very much in the mix, close McCain advisers say.
Under strong consideration: former Pennsylvania Republican Gov. Tom Ridge, and Lieberman, who was Al Gore’s running mate in 2000.
Multiple GOP sources say that party officials in Washington and in the states have been contacted by the McCain campaign in the past two weeks and asked about the fallout from such a choice. One person familiar with the calls said the party was being instructed to prepare for different candidate prototypes — including one in the mold of Lieberman, who is an independent but still caucuses with the Democrats.
One obstacle for Lieberman may be legal. A GOP official said that since he is not a Republican, Lieberman may have a challenge being certified on some state ballots.
But GOP sources say McCain and his close friend Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) still haven’t given up hope on making what some believe would be a game-changing decision by tapping Lieberman.
Lieberman’s office declined to discuss the topic. “Those questions are best left to the McCain campaign at this time,” said Erika Masonhall, Lieberman’s Senate press secretary.
Ridge also appears to still be on the short list, GOP sources say. McCain likes the fact that Ridge is a Vietnam War hero with a working-class background. Ridge worked in the White House as Bush’s homeland security adviser before becoming Secretary of Homeland Security, and could help McCain with his further reform of the nation’s intelligence apparatus.
“He’s McCain’s kind of guy,” said a close friend of the candidate.
McCain, who in the past had said it would be hard to choose a supporter of abortion rights, told Steve Hayes of The Weekly Standard last week that he would not rule it out.
One source close to the campaign who is sympathetic to such a plan sketched out a scenario in which Lieberman was the choice.
“First, if your instinct is to run on experience, it doesn’t hurt to have a vice president who’s got it, too,” said this source, a conservative.
But more than that, according to this source, picking Lieberman would dramatically support McCain’s theme that he puts “country first” above all else.
“It would fit well into the narrative of his not having any politics in the White House,” said the source. “No more Dick Morris, no more Karl Rove — we’re governing here. It’s an easy, natural message for McCain and it implies a one-term pledge without actually saying it.”
As for the inevitable blowback from the right, this person acknowledged the convention would be “a messy week,” representing a “shock to the system of a pro-life party.”
But would it be worth it? “The question is: On Sept. 15 or 25, is he in better shape or not?” the source asked.
McCain allies are hopeful that the candidate’s strong statement on abortion Saturday night at Rick Warren’s California church could assuage any concerns from the right-to-life community about what a supporter of abortion rights on the ticket would mean.
“I will be a pro-life president and this presidency will have pro-life policies,” McCain said at Saddleback. “That's my commitment; that's my commitment to you.”
Others in the party — including several veterans of President Bush’s past campaigns — say such a choice would be untenable and are dreading the prospect of what Lieberman, or perhaps even Ridge,would mean to a base that is already less than enthusiastic about McCain.
“Lieberman would blow things up,” said the American Conservative Union’s David Keene. “That would be like Obama picking some right-winger that agrees with him on one thing.”
As for the convention, Keene said Lieberman’s selection would set off some sort of “protest” among the party’s rank and file. Tapping Ridge, Keene said, wouldn’t be as bad, but would still “overshadow” St. Paul.
Already, one website has begun a petition aimed at dissuading McCain from tapping a supporter of abortion rights.
“Please keep Senator McCain and his key advisers in your prayers as he nears a decision on his VP pick, and please sign the petition and pass on to like-minded pro-lifers,” Billy Valentine, a young Republican and former supporter of Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback’s presidential bid, writes above the petition on “Catholics for McCain.”
Other Republican regulars, speaking anonymously so as not to anger the party’s nominee, warn of the consequences.
Another well-placed Republican official who is in regular contact with McCain’s campaign predicted a contentious gathering in St. Paul.
“You will not have a unanimous vote at the convention, that much I can tell you,” said this source. “There will be some blowback.”
Many leading conservatives have strongly pushed back on McCain’s suggestion that he might choose a pro-choice running mate.
For the third day in a row, talk radio guru Rush Limbaugh castigated the idea Tuesday on his radio show, saying the mainstream media — “the drive-by media,” in his parlance — is enthralled by the idea.
“The drive-bys are just hoping for it, because they know the base will totally turn on McCain if this is the case,” Limbaugh said. “If he picks a pro-choice running mate, it’s not going to be pretty, and the drive-bys know it."
“The question is how to get the message to McCain," he said. "You don’t get in McCain’s face and say, ‘Don’t do it.’ That’s a dumb thing to do. [You have to say something like] ‘Sen. McCain, we know you’re smart … and we know you don’t want to lose.’”
The answer to what McCain is thinking could come soon. Republicans were told that barring a change, McCain plans to appear with his pick at an arena in Dayton, Ohio, on Aug. 29 — a week from Friday, and the day after Barack Obama accepts the Democratic nomination in a Denver stadium.
Campaign advisers said Obama’s performance is likely to be so strong they think it will “scare” Republicans, and they’re eager to change the conversation to their own No. 2 the next morning.
Obama is likely to make his pick this Friday, Saturday or Sunday, according to advisers. But they warned it could come any time.
Don’t take Cartman’s bluster too seriously. He is a Libertarian here to covert us unwashed heathens to the true religion. He will squeal like a stuck pig what ever the GOP does.
I doubt that it is possible for him not to nominate someone to the right of the Messiah.
Oh come on, I think I read he’s going to choose Rosie O’Donnell.
o’bama stamds to pick up a few votes going pro-choice, McCain will lose a hell of a lota votes Guess this is what the RATS plan is.
Thomas Jefferson capsulized the principle underlying our liberty:
"The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time: the hand of force may destroy, but cannot disjoin them."
I believe Ridge blasted McCain for "questioning Obama's patriotism." If so, I think you can count him out of the running for VP.
I can't tell who is trying harder to lose this year - McCain or Obama? If McCain picks a pro-choice running mate, he will succeed in snatching defeat from the jaws of victory...
Well:
Romney - would negate the flip-flopper argument/campaign opportunity. Romney is a “Pro-Abortion unless it is politically expedient to be Pro-Life” politician. He has reversed his support of Socialized medicine only after the problems came to light and he was running for the nomination. He does come across at likable, but that just isn’t enough to convince me.
Jindal - I could like him. Maybe a bit too friendly with Pat Buchannon, but seems pretty strong on most conservative issues.
Palin - the only issue I see are those who may be against a woman in the office. She is intelligent, apparently quite conservative, and young - all things that I think would make McCain more paletable.
Graham is just plain bad. He has no backbone, is weak in many areas of policy, and is pretty much worthless.
Lieberman wold possibly help out a little in a small demographic, but overall is a very bad choice (pro-abortion, pro socialist, etc.). A poison pill in my book.
Santorum - Did you mean “Rick” not “Ron”? Santorum is pretty conservative and very pro-family.
Nichols-?
Bolton - which one?
Zell - too old, but could be fun!
In baseball parlance McCain is playing “small ball”. He thinks he can win this thing by playing it tight. Course he could just as easily lose by a run.
In my estimation, Obama can only win if the election is close, or there’s a significant 3rd Party threat to McCain’s right. It’s stupid for McCain to slow-play this thing. He should be letting it all hangout with conservative themes. He’d crush Obama.
I don’t think McCain will pick Lieberman, but he might pick Rooty.
Basically, no difference.
I thought that was Hagel.
Absolutely. So write the McCain site and complain as my wife and I did. We wrote Lindsay as well. All Freepers should do it. No more dissing of the BASE. One more dis, and John loses .Period.
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I was at a McCain fundraiser last Tuesday in NJ and Lieberman also introduced McCain.
If McCain wants to pick a Jew who will help him put on his yarmulke, he should pick young Cantor from VA.
Freepers, who would NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS, even as late as six months ago, imagine themselves wholeheartedly and publicly supporting a McCAIN-PRO ABORT VP TICKET.
Only because they have rationalized thier morals to the point of being RINOS themselves (if they were to support such a ticket).
Doesnt ANYBODY, for Pete's sake, take a stand and draw a line and say "NO, I dont go beyond this"??
I guess only a few. Maybe the sad state of Conservatism these days. With a moral center about has hard as marshmallows.
Sheesh.
That is like a co-dependent telling an abusive husband, "OK, you can take the tire iron to my head, a scald the kids with boiling hot water ONE MORE time, but after that, hey, it is OVER!"
bump
I wasn’t at the one in Atlanta, but one of the local FM Morning show people was invited and was giving a report this morning.
He was originally going to introduce McCain, but they “got someone else” to do it. Turned out to be Lieberman.
Thanks for the correction. Rick Santorom. I had to write fast as I am at work. You know, the bolton that was in the UN. Don Nichols (OKLA) retired conservative. I’ll throw in Sonny Perdue, Tancredo, Duncan Hunter, Phil Graham
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