[zigzag]

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/sto...1409386042.htm

Unlikely that he was misquoted - he said it on the air. I believe vmpaul floated this idea in a previous thread - maybe McCain reads this board.

Another interesting item, although this guy is a lifetime bureaucrat so I don't know if it really counts as a "defection":

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/....tm/index.html

[voodoo]

If it means more entertainment value for me I'm all for it!
(it does)

[thunderous_funker]

I assumed that Kerry would pick a VP that would give him street cred with Deaniacs and the Left. After all, he seems determined to dive to the center now that he's got the nomination--a move that seems destined to insure low voter turnout and a repeat of 2000-2002.

But McCain might be an interesting choice to steal the disgruntled conservatives who are barking but aren't really threatening to vote democratic, but might not vote at all.

Bascially, for Democrats the key is to get out the people who stayed home in 2000--young people and honest Liberals.

For Republicans, they got super turnout in 2000 but that is threatened in 2004 because Bush has turned out to be such a radical instead of the moderate we all thought he was. The GOP is worried that a lot of conservatives will stay home in November. And Bush has mistakenly veered hard Right instead of trying to reclaim the center as he did in 2000.

I'm increasingly worried that Kerry will not get the Deaniac vote (the people who have stayed home or voted 3rd party), but if he picks McCain, he might steal a surprising chunk of honest conservatives.

In fact, Kerry/McCain would probably get all the conservatives who voted for Nader in 2000 even if they don't get all the Liberals who voted for Nader. In a lot of states, Nader got more conservatives that liberals so that strategy just might work.

All that said, however, I don't see it happening. McCain has already shown that he'll eat whatever shyt the party tells him to. I don't see him crossing over. Won't happen.

[vmpaul]

Interesting developments.

Some comments t_f - I think the main point about the Deaniacs is that they are mad. I don't think it's Dean-love as much as that Dean tapped into that better than the other candidates. If a Kerry/MCain ticket would beat Bush I'm sure they'd go for it.

Hopefully it's just not wishful thinking but I'm hearing a lot of anti-Bush sentiment among conservatives myself. I don't know how far that will go - voting democratic? Or low turnout? Who knows? It's a new phenomena I've never experience before. Usually Republicans are the ones united.

I would have 2 questions regarding McCain joining the ticket:

1) Would Kerry be allowed to do this? Would he lose some Democratic Party support for going outside the ranks? I'm talking funds and organizational support.

2) What do you think McCain would make as his demands to be the VP candidate? I mean, he'd want some concessions, either power or issues, to throw his hat in.

Thanks for the credit zigzag. I'll take it if it happens.

Either way it would be a very interesting race. Clinton is the only president I remember who actually had other party members serving in their administrations.

[thunderous_funker]

Well, in defense of Deaniacs, if you're not mad--you're not paying attention.

And I'd say Kerry is the one who is enjoying the anybody-but-Bush support. Dean supporters actually believed Dean's platform--that is why they voted for him even when Democrats insisted "he couldn't win" and cast their generic anybody-but-Bush-who-can-win vote for Kerry or Edwards.

I find the Deaniacs infinitely more sincere and focused on issues that your average Democratic voter.

[vmpaul]

Egads! The way you describe it, I think I'm a Deaniac! Well, I guess that just goes along with my 10% success rate of picking winning political candidates

Either way, I'm less than thrilled with Kerry but I'll go that way because I'm a member of the ABB crowd. But McCain would make my vote feel a little less distasteful.

[thunderous_funker]

Originally posted by vmpaul:
Either way, I'm less than thrilled with Kerry but I'll go that way because I'm a member of the ABB crowd. But McCain would make my vote feel a little less distasteful.

Agreed!

[SimeyTheLimey]

Originally posted by vmpaul:
Either way it would be a very interesting race. Clinton is the only president I remember who actually had other party members serving in their administrations.

Actually, it's fairly common. For example, Bush's transportation secretary is a Democrat and his CIA director was appointed by Clinton.

Personally, I think it is time to just write McCain in for president no matter who the parties nominate. Correct the mistake we made in 2000. (But note, I voted for McCain in the Virginia primary in 2000).

[vmpaul]

Originally posted by SimeyTheLimey:
Actually, it's fairly common. For example, Bush's transportation secretary is a Democrat and his CIA director was appointed by Clinton.

Didn't know about the transportation secretary but did know about Tenet.

Funny, just yesterday I heard an interview with someone saying that Rumsfeld was initially slated to be the new CIA chief but Bush Sr. advised Dubya to leave Tenet so it wouldn't be seen as a political appointment. Not sure the reasoning involved there.

[thunderous_funker]

Originally posted by SimeyTheLimey:
Personally, I think it is time to just write McCain in for president no matter who the parties nominate. Correct the mistake we made in 2000. (But note, I voted for McCain in the Virginia primary in 2000).

Wow, Simey. You really have come full circle. I didn't think I'd ever count you amoung the anti-Bush crowd.

Maybe I wasn't completely drunk when I suggested that honest conservatives and moderates are going to find it hard to back Bush in 2004.

[vmpaul]

Originally posted by thunderous_funker:

LOL!

I'm not much for jingoistic attire but I'd wear that.

[BRussell]

Of course McCain would accept. An automatic takeover of the White House in case something happened to the prez - why wouldn't a Republican accept? I'm sure Hillary would be Bush's running mate if he dropped Cheney. Why not? As Cheney has shown with his statements about gay marriage, the veep need not even openly support the president's policies.

McCain's right, Kerry would never offer it to him, and Democrats would have a fit if he did, as they should. According to this quantitative analysis of Senators' voting patterns, McCain is the fourth most conservative senator, a few places more conservative than Santorum.

If we really want to attract conservatives, why don't we go all out and just nominate Bob Barr as our presidential candidate.

What I find more interesting about this - more interesting than the possibility of it really happening, which it won't - is that McCain would actually publicly refuse to reject the idea. That's got to be a bit of a slap in the face to Bush. Not that he isn't used to it from McCain.

[daimoni]

.

[ghost_flash]

I was watching him being interviewed by that punk from Clinton's whitehouse, Stefanopoliopogous with his own show, and Mcain said out and out, he would never entertain that idea.

[zachs]

Ain't never gonna happen.

[voodoo]

Would have been fun though