Most of the talk this year about a bipartisan “Unity Ticket” has focused on New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Nebraska Representative Chuck Hagel. What if the real “Unity Ticket” for the 2008 election is John McCain and Joseph Lieberman? Lieberman has already crossed party lines (on non-party lines) to endorse McCain and both are known as men of character, who vote their convictions. Also, both are known to be good at working out compromises in the Senate. They could make a credible argument that they are the two Senators most likely to breakthrough the partisanship in Washington.
This only would work to me if they were the Republican nominees for President and Vice-President and if they were running against Hillary Clinton. A Clinton returning to the White House would mean more partisanship in Washington. Also, Obama or Edwards would run as the next generation of leadership vs. the Old generation and a McCain/Lieberman ticket would have a hard time getting people excited to vote for 2 old men when running against a young one.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
A Different Unity Presidential Ticket
Posted by CRCHAIR at 1:07 PM
Labels: Lieberman, McCain, politics, presidentialcampaign, republican
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3 comments:
It is an interesting idea, but honestly I can't imagine a ticket more designed to ensure gridlock. McCain has already burned many bridges with McCain/Feingold and his failed Immigration Plan. And Lieberman has already burned most of his bridges in the Democratic party by running even though he lost the primary. Both are surely experienced legislators, but have so much baggage that I can't imagine them winning. And, of course, there is no chance of such a ticket surviving as a third party, because it would draw almost exclusively from the GOP candidate, due to their strong Pro-War stance.
It would be interesting to see Lieberman teamed up with a Republican, but not McCain. That would really be an old men's ticket. McCain is too old to start being president, in my opinion. If he were the incumbent, it would be different.
Lieberman could bring experience, morality, and gravitas to a non-Northeast presidential candidate.
But I doubt that it will happen. Although he has many strengths, he has voted with the liberal Democrats on nearly every issue for all the years he has been in the Senate.
I don't think that ticket will happen, but it would be interesting to see one of the other GOP front runners pick up Joe for their VP. He would be a great asset for Huckabee - especially with the former's foreign policy expertise and the latter's complete lack thereof. Though as Shadowmom points out, Joe does have a deep blue streak in him, so maybe he wouldn't be so good for those looking for a strictly conservative ticket. But for my money, there's not a democrat ticket that could beat a Huckabee/Lieberman ticket.
I don't think that he would work as well with Romney, simply because I think most of the country would be turned off by a ticket based that much in blue (blood?) New England.
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