What will you do if Kerry picks McCain for VP?

[ringmastery]

Will you vote for a unity ticket?

According to today's NY Times, Kerry's closest advisors have been pushing Kerry to approach McCain. They think it would make Kerry unbeatable. Whatever support he loses from the ultra-liberal faction of the party, he would gain ten-fold in independents and moderate republicans who love McCain.

[bluestateguy]

1. This is just a media fantasy

They get bored with the campaign, and like little children with short attention spans they make up pretend stories to keep themselves titillated.

[Exultant Democracy]

6. Very true,

Kerry would never tap McCain because he would not want (god forbid something happened) another Repug in the White House.

[ezee]

16. AGREED

[David Dunham]

2. I agree.

[Cuban_Liberal]

3. Before, or AFTER my head exploded? n/t

[Maccagirl]

4. Nothing

because it's not going to happen.

[sallyseven]

5. I would be very disappointed. I cannot vote for McCain.

He is just as obnoxious as the rest of the repub. He is a conservative thru and thru. I will scream at the top of my lungs. Who the hell are these advisor's. He doesn't need McCain. Then he would have to watch his back a lot.

[illini]

7. I would vote for Kerry McCain in a second.

I think a Kerry Fitzgerald ticket would be good also. McCain and Fitzgerald are both real conservatives. Not the neocon crap that passes for a conservative now. They are two Republicans that do what they think is best for their respective states and what is best for the country. They don't just go with the party line. :smoke:

[Zinfandel]

8. McCain is a fucking republican pig...NOT a fucking chance could it ever

happen...not ever, ever, ever, so ridiculous to even considered...McCain is so right-wing moderate he's so fucking disgusting as ALL republicans are.

[fujiyama]

9. Regarding McCain as VP

:boring:

[bowens43]

10. It will never happen

but if it did, I'd be voting for nader.

[ochazuke]

11. I'd sleep well.

Because a "national unity ticket" with a war hero from each party would sweep the chimp from office.

The only thing I can think of that would be a better stake through the heart of bush is a major independent candidate on the right. Rove would never understand where he went wrong.

[59millionmorons]

12. Vote for him

Just like I will do no matter who he picks.

[lastknowngood]

13. I would vote for howard dean and to hell with this party

n/t

[JVS]

14. Not vote for it.

If you are not willing to withdraw support at some point then you have no right to complain about being ignored. I refuse to become a "doormat Democrat"

[terisel]

15. I would not vote or I would write in a candidate.

McCain is anti-women's health rights. If he is vp it would be making Kerry a target for anti-abortion violence. People who would and have murdered physicians over the abortion issue would likely think that McCain as vp meant that God wanted to make him president by any means necessary.

Do you really want McCain appointing Supreme Court justices?

I hope Kerry is getting some advice from the women who voted for him in the primaries.

I believe that there are other candidate who would make Kerry unbeatable without sacrificing women's rights.

[Arkana]

30. Like...?

Personally, I'd like to see Clark or Edwards as Kerry's VP. I think a Kerry/McCain ticket would destroy Shrub and Uncle Dick, but I don't know about picking a Republican, even a moderate one.

[tedoll78]

17. I would support them.

And here's why:
Kerry would be the one signing & vetoing laws.
Kerry would be the one nominating judges.
Kerry would be the one issuing executive orders.

McCain would be the on attending foreign funerals, casting tie votes in the Senate, and delivering Arizona's 10 electoral votes.

[MidwestTransplant]

19. McCain for Zell Miller would be the most lopsided trade

since the Red Sox traded Babe Ruth!

[HFishbine]

46. Pretty confident

in Kerry's health, are you?

[Hippo_Tron]

56. He looks pretty healthy to me. Plus I'd MUCH rather McCain than Shrub...

As president.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

18. I don't think it will happen

Bush effectively destroyed McCain in the GOP primary in 2000. The lies he used then would be trotted out again. However, if Kerry does choose McCain, I'll vote for the ticket. I just don't see it happening.

[hyphenate]

20. It'll never happen

Not anytime soon--not until pigs fly.

McCain would have been a decent president--in 2000. But the BFEE and the neo-cons were determined to get their agenda put through, so they had to discredit him. He's a conservative--he might not be as rotten to the core as Bush is, but his main philosophies do not benefit the liberals and certainly do not benefit the average citizens in this country.

The best person to pick for this "must win" election is someone "safe" in the eyes of the majority of voters. That means, no women (:(, I know), no minority race members, no republicans, no far left liberals. It sucks royally, but the VP running mate for John Kerry has to be the safest, most visibly mainstream person out there. I think it's likely to be either John Edwards or Wesley Clarke right now, but if JK goes outside the pool of presidential also-rans, he would be best to choose someone from either the midwest or the south, where there are voters who need to be convinced that Bush* is the asshole we've known he is for the past 3+ years.

It's not the best time for any of us to be playing with the odds--we need this victory so badly that all luxuries for picking the best candidates for VP need to be held on stand-by for the time being.

[jpgray]

21. It would make me very unhappy, but it would win moderates over like mad

So probably we would win, as moderate voters are what win elections. We would still be moving the country left, but it wouldn't be as big of a shift as we could get otherwise with even a moderate Democrat.

[ulysses]

28. ?

"We would still be moving the country left"

By nominating a Republican as VP? HOW?

[tedoll78]

29. See my post above.

Policywise, it would be a victory for us.

[ulysses]

31. would it?

Ok, sure, Kerry would be president, but what would putting an anti-choice Repuke on the ticket say about Kerry himself? about the party?

I genuinely can't believe that anyone is serious about this (although the thought of thousands of Nader-hating Dems trooping off to vote for a Kerry/McCain ticket does bring out the irony lover in me).

[Lydia Leftcoast]

22. It would be a sad indication that

the Democratic party has lost all its integrity and adopted the sick, superficial celebrity worship that affects the society at large.

[Zorra]

23. Um, your post is inaccurate. Is this the article you are referring to?

The article does not say that Kerry's closest advisers are pushing Kerry to approach McCain. It also says nothing about losing support from the ultraliberal faction or gaining ten fold in independents and moderate republicans. Only one adviser is mentioned as saying that it would guarantee a victory.

Quick and Quiet Search to Fill the Democratic Ticket
By ADAM NAGOURNEY
Published: April 4, 2004

Democrats close to Mr. Kerry, including some advisers, said Senator John S. McCain, Republican of Arizona, remained a highly alluring choice. One adviser said that choice would almost guarantee Mr. Kerry's election. Mr. McCain, who like Mr. Kerry is a Vietnam veteran, has said he does not want to cross party lines to join a Kerry ticket, though some of Mr. Kerry's aides held out the hope of a personal entreaty by Mr. Kerry, outside Mr. Johnson's network.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/04/politics/campaign/04VICE.html
I have never voted for a republican, and I never will.

[IndianaGreen]

24. "Whatever support he loses from the ultra-liberal faction..."

Say, who is writing the script for this campaign?

Kerry has not said a word about a running mate, yet there are beaucoup people flying the McCain trial balloon, including Nancy Pelosi.

What's going on?

[JVS]

25. Operation infinite triangulation

[ulysses]

26. "unity ticket" - phhhbbbbtttt

Unity my ass. I don't vote for Republicans.

This is all academic, though.

[ewagner]

27. Unity????

Isn't that something like bipartisanship?

You remember what Grover Nordquists calls bipartisanship? Date Rape!

Repubs don't play by the same rules. McCain on the ticket wouldn't change anything.

[wasichu]

32. I can't vote for a republican

ever.

[newyawker99]

43. Hi wasichu!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[SaveElmer]

33. No problem voting for that ticket

McCain is alot more conservative than I would like, though he is right on many important issues, but he is an honorable man who would do what was asked of him by Kerry were he the VP nominee.

[ulysses]

34. honorable man. veteran. all-around stud.

ANTI-CHOICE REPUBLICAN.

Why is anyone floating this, even as a trial? Are we being prepped to accept a conservative Dem?

[Doomsayer13]

35. I would vote for it

I don't necessarily support the creation of such a ticket, but McCain is conservative but at least I'd be sure that he'd lead an honest government.

[mitchum]

36. Assume that Strom Thurmond just became very very cold

It's not going to happen

[David Zephyr]

37. Kerry Won't Pick McCain As VP, But the Chatter Makes the GOP Quake.

So keep up the talk. It's driving Republicans batty.

I feel strongly that a Secretary of Defense position might be offered. McCain's father and grandfather both held prestigious military pistons and this would be an offer that I don't think he would turn down.

Would he make a good Secretary of Defense? That's another subject altogether.

But in any event, I love the McCain chatter. Keep it up, and drive Republican nuts.

[TNMOM]

48. Vote for Kerry

I don't give a flying rat who is Veep.

38. What happened to ABB?

I guess that the "Anybody But Bush" concept doesn't really apply, when we get right down to it. Was it all just bullshit?

I would vote Kerry/McCain in a heartbeat, with no regrets.

I wonder how many of the old ABBies would drop their support for Kerry if something like this did go down?

39. dupe. Ignore. /nt

[Piperay]

40. Vote for Kerry

no matter who he chooses, I want chimp OUT.

[lewiston]

41. Yikes

Some more if you can't beat'em join'em BS. Unbelieveable... give it a rest.

[Eurobabe]

42. vote for them

n/t

[Padraig18]

44. Seriously consider leaving the Democratic Party.

When we start nominating Republicans to our ticket, it's time for me to move on, I think.

[HFishbine]

45. Vote for Bush

I guess I'll be one of those "ultra-liberals."

[Adelante]

47. An anti-Choice candidate

would never be on the Democratic ticket, so I don't have to think about this. If it ever did happen, the Democratic Party can go fuck itself.

[amazona]

49. won't happen, it would be a death warrant for Kerry

We had enough nuttos lining up making attempts on Bill Clinton's life and this with Al Gore waiting in the wings. Can you imagine if Kerry had a formerly Republican VP -- keep in mind, as I type, McCain is still GOP -- the nutjobs would take this as a golden opportunity to break out the assault rifles. Keep in mind, the dark side is both heavily armed and full of crazies. If Kerry wants a more conservative VP, why not reach out to one of the many fine Democratic choices and not paint a target on his own back?

[VOX]

50. Two vets (one a POW), both experienced and highly responsible...

It would be easy for me to punch the ballot for Kerry-McCain ticket.

As a long-time leftist, this would mean a big change in my thinking, but then, the world is so off-kilter now that something extraordinary might shake things up in a positive way.

[SayitAintSo]

51. Never happen - McCain would not risk becoming

a Zell Miller ... hated by his own party (that he loves).... shunned by the other that he would serve....Never happen ....

[LividLiberal]

52. I would vote for Kerry regardless

but there's a lot of questions that would need to be answered with McCain on the ticket

[leyton]

53. I would have my victory party early.

But I would still be cautious from inauguration day forward. I wouldn't be surprised if there were attempts on Kerry's life, and his health is not spectacular anyway. Having McCain as the VP does not bother me, since he is an honorable man and one who represents the better side of the GOP.

[sangha]

54. Wake up from the shock

.

[PurityOfEssence]

55. Scream bloody murder

and rail endlessly at the idiots who are duped into thinking this guy's anything but an extremist right-winger.

[never_get_over_it]

57. McCain says he would not run

On March 18th McCain told CBS I think a morning show:

"I don't want to be vice president of the United States. I do not want
to leave the Republican Party. I would not be vice president of the
United States on either ticket," McCain told CBS on Thursday.

This was reported on Yahoo news on Friday March 19th - however the link is no longer active.