Novak: McCain Wants Joe Lieberman As His Vice President
Columnist Robert Novak reports that presumptive Republican Presidential nominee Senator John McCain already has a favorite who he’d love to pick for Vice President: Connecticut Independent-Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman:
Sources close to Sen. John McCain say the Republican presidential candidate likes the idea of Democratic Sen. Joseph Lieberman, re-elected from Connecticut as an independent in 2006, or former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge for vice president – if he could get away with it. The political consensus is that McCain couldn’t get away with either, and he knows it.
Lieberman, one of McCain’s closest Senate friends, vigorously supports him for president and sometimes joins him on the campaign trail. However, Lieberman opposes Republican policy on nearly everything except Iraq, where he has backed the war effort.
First, yours truly owes a big fat “You were right” to The Moderate Voice’s co-blogger Michael Silverstein, a former editor for Bloomberg News who writes brilliant prose and poetic commentary for TMV. In emails for the past several months – including last week — Silverstein has predicted that McCain would want Lieberman and would even pick him. Last week I emailed him and basically said “no way.”
And so now it comes out via Novak — an old-school conservative columnist who has excellent sources (I met Novak years ago when I was a student at Colgate University, when I was visiting Washington D.C. and he was very nice to me and a fellow student) — that McCain is pining away for Lieberman to be on the ticket.
It still seems highly unlikely for several reasons:
1. As Novak notes, some Republicans would have to choke down their disagreements with Lieberman on a host of issues just to have the satisfaction of seeing Lieberman run with McCain and bash his old party. In these days of litmus tests, where McCain is still walking a tightrope and trying to revive the 2000 “Maverick” McCain while staying loyal enough to President George Bush so he doesn’t lose his party base, it would be a huge risk. He could lose some Republican votes.
2. Lieberman is not totally loved by non-anti-war Democrats. There are some who greatly resent his alliance with the Republicans.
3. Lieberman is absolute anathema to the Democrats’ progressive wing, and his presence on the ticket would ensure they would vote in the election in huge numbers just to get back at Lieberman. The “netroots”
4. It is not a “given” that Lieberman will help McCain get the support of needed independent “swing” voters and moderates. These groups aren’t monolithic and a segment of them are strongly anti-war and could vote for Obama if Lieberman is on the ticket.
The UPSIDE is that by putting Lieberman on the ticket McCain could argue he has a bipartisan ticket. But that wouldn’t work except for Republican voters because many Democrats and independents now consider Lieberman substantially in the GOP camp, even though he really isn’t when it comes to many issues important to Democrats.
Putting Lieberman on the ticket would not exactly be as bipartisan as running with Harry Reid….
Could it still happen? Perhaps. But it is unlikely as Novak reports — particularly because Lieberman can be of enormous use to McCain in his efforts to attract angry supporters of Senator Hillary Clinton and Jewish voters.
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5 Responses to “Novak: McCain Wants Joe Lieberman As His Vice President”
I've often thought this.
My thoughts: is McCain trying to have his cake and eat it too- by showing independently-minded voters that he seriously considered Lieberman and is therefore still a “maverick, but then picks a Republican running mate?
If McCain does chose Lieberman, has he completely written off the GOP base (which he's in hot water with right now) and is trying to lead from the center? (But I like Joe's observation that a lot of netroots supporters would vote in huge numbers to get back at Lieberman).
Lastly, it would be a hoot to see two once-ran Dem VPs (Lieberman and Edwards) running as VPs against each other….
You're not wrong about the disesteem in which a number of Dems now hold Lieberman. Even so — and despite his hawkish attitudes — he's a Dem through and through on other issues, as you point out.
It would be an interesting choice. McCain's kind of between a rock and a hard place anyway, between having to woo moderates/independents and not alienating the 'base.' If he picks Lieberman, he's going to make a lot of people angry.
Speaking as a progressive, I'd love for McCain to cross party lines for Lieberamn. Not one but two hawkish older gentleman….nice.
Pick Joe! Pick Joe! Nothing would make me happier than to see both of them lose big this fall.
A McCain, Lieberman ticket would make this election into War against Peace.
Despite cries of 'victory', the crumbling economy and infrastructue most affects voters these days.
What with new anti-America mublings from alSadr, the Iraq situation can change in a second, The cost of the war is finally beginning to be acknowledged, too, and that brings it back to the situation at home.
While Lieberman has voted with the Democrats on some isuses, as Damozel noted, he has increasingly crossed the line from 'not supporitng' to actively working against Democrats. That's an important difference when gauging his standing as a moderate.
It really doesn't matter what John McCain WANTS – it matters what will help him get elected and for that – I say he should choose former Maryland Lt. Govenor Michael Steele. Mr. Steele brings a lot to the ticket and would show the GOP base that McCain has listened to them and values their input.
Once elected McCain can put Lieberman in a cabinet position or any other appointed spot – even a judge (although I hope not). But for now, McCain needs to look at who will be the most help in winning the White House and for my money, I'd choose Michael Steele.