Oh man, stick a fork in St. McCain. You just don’t go anywhere in getting your party’s nomination if people find out you planned to leave.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was close to leaving the Republican Party in 2001, weeks before then-Sen. Jim Jeffords (Vt.) famously announced his decision to become an Independent, according to former Democratic lawmakers who say they were involved in the discussions.
In interviews with The Hill this month, former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and ex-Rep. Tom Downey (D-N.Y.) said there were nearly two months of talks with the maverick lawmaker following an approach by John Weaver, McCain’s chief political strategist.
Maverick lawmaker?
Oliver, your political prognostications are being made way too early.
McCain right now is the GOP insider candidate. There are no sitting Governors the GOP have to turn to so it will come down to the Senator from Arizona. Once the party backs a candidate, it’s virtually impossible for somebody else to make a run, so I wouldn’t be so quick to write McCain off.
But wouldn’t the GOP want a candidate that wasn’t filled with Jell-o?
I think he’s toast as well, but the irony of not one but two McCain ads running on your site is not lost on me.
Duros, I could think of 10 candidates in 1996 that would have been better than Bob Dole. Not that I think any of them would have won as Clinton pretty much was in cruise control by that point, but would have made for a more competitive race.
But Dole was the party guy and it was his ‘turn.’
The Democrats essentially had to do the same with John Kerry.
I just think it’s a little too early to write McCain off. Right now, he’s the only ‘insider’ candidate.
I could think of 10 candidates in 1996 that would have been better than Bob Dole.
Totally agree.
The Democrats essentially had to do the same with John Kerry.
Ditto, and I could think of 10 candidates than Kerry as well.
So are you saying that it’s McCain’s turn now? After the GOP essentially destroyed him in 2000?
*better* than Kerry
Well if that’s their reasoning, if the McCain nod is already in the bag, can we avoid hearing anything more from the also-rans like Brownback?
Maybe McCain can team up with Lieberman and “unite the country.”
Haw!!
So are you saying that it’s McCain’s turn now? After the GOP essentially destroyed him in 2000?
Sure. The GOP turned away Bob Dole at an earlier point. Remember in 1988 when he snapped at VP Bush in a debate, “Stop lying about my record!” No different.
Spider, I wouldn’t say the McCain nod is ‘in the bag’ but he’s going to have to do something really awful in order for somebody else to pull the rug out from underneath him. Brownback would have to pull the rug out, and then physically bury McCain alive to even begin to have a chance to beat Newt Gingrich.
Jesus, is this seriously the GOP field to look forward to? McCain as the front-runner? “Can’t recall my position” John McCain?
Leading in front of Rudy and Newt, men infamous for the way they’ve treated their wives right before divorcing them?
Who themselves are in front of nutty Sam Brownback?
Don’t get me wrong, I’d like the Dems to take the White House, but surely the GOP has somebody more palatable than these guys. Huckabee? Hagel?
Yes, even I, as a liberal, could get behind Huckabee or Hagel. People who truly care about this country and its direction.
Of course, if the GOP chooses to field these guys, who need a team of advisers to find their asses, well that works for me too.
With the current crop of GOP candidates, I would take a hard look at Bill Richardson if the Democratic Party would wake up. They’re spending too much time kissing the ass of:
Hillary Clinton – Power hungry opportunist. Her whole move to run for the Senate in NY was to set herself up for a Presidential run. Nothing more. I’d happily cast a vote for Ralph Nader before this person.
Barack Obama – Nice guy, gives good speeches but he’s an empty suit if there ever was one.
John Edwards – Snake oil salesman.
Bill Richardson – Tax cutter, strong on immigration, foreign policy experience up the wazoo, friend of the 2nd amendment (he was endorsed by the NRA over his GOP opponent), and has executive experience.
He’s got the goods but he’s sitting in Joe Biden territory.
You get no love from me on Hillary. Among other things, it leave a bad taste in my mouth to imagine that the presidency for over twenty years could read in the history books as “Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton.” Might as well rename them York and Lancaster and be done with it.
As for Obama and Edwards, however, you haven’t offered anything but cheap labels. You say Obama’s an “empty suit” but can’t explain what that means in real terms, and you say Edwards is a “snake oil salesman” without mentioning what he’s purportedly selling. I know it’s fun to simply shout “Eeek! It’s a lawyer!” whenever Edwards appears on camera, but big deal. The government is full of lawyers. The presidency has seen a number of lawyers. Lincoln was a lawyer.
On the other hand, when I say that McCain’s having very real (and, honestly, heartbreaking) moments of mental lapse, you can see what I’m referring to. When I say that Giuliani and Gingrich are cads, you know what I’m referring to.
As for Brownback? Maybe “nutty” falls into the same category as “empty suit.” Better I say that I don’t much care for theocrats.
I like Richardson, though, and think he should be a stronger candidate. Although I cringe when I consider what the usual gang of screaming Fox “News” pundits will decide to make of his Hispanic background, especially since “Bill Richardson” doesn’t sound like a Hispanic name. I recall the brief attempts to say John Kerry was misrepresenting himself as Irish, as well as the recent idiocy over “Barack Hussein Osama.”