I really don’t think this will ever happen, but the prospect of a Dem ticket featuring John Kerry and John McCain is starting to generate quite a bit of attention. It’s worth taking a step back and considering the pros and cons here.
To be sure, Kerry and McCain have been friends for many years and McCain has drawn GOP ire for saying nice things about the Dem nominee in recent weeks. Indeed, this goes back a ways. Last June, McCain was singing Kerry’s praises, saying that Kerry is “smart, he’s tough, and he’s experienced. He has the capability.” McCain added that Kerry “can connect with people in the same way” he did in his 2000 campaign.
McCain’s defense of Kerry has only grown since. Last month, McCain went out of his way to undermine Bush’s talking points by defending Kerry’s record on defense and national security issues. Last week, McCain sounded a lot like a Republican Zell Miller by saying his party “has gone astray.” He added that he believes the “Democratic Party is a fine party, and I have no problems with it, in their views and their philosophy.”
Speculation about McCain’s interest in helping Kerry kicked into overdrive in early March. When asked what he would do if Kerry invited him to join the Dem ticked, McCain said, “Obviously, I would entertain it.” McCain’s office had, however, categorically backed away from the statement within a few hours.
There are almost too many angles to this hypothetical, but let’s consider just a few.
McCain is one of those Republicans that Dems generally respect and admire. He’s honest and principled, he’s a decorated war hero, and more important than anything else, he really doesn’t get along with Bush (Enemy of my enemy…). That said, let’s not forget that McCain isn’t just a Republican, he’s a conservative one at that.
McCain is vehemently opposed to a woman’s right to choose, he has been an enthusiastic supporter of the war in Iraq, he voted to confirm John Ashcroft for attorney general, he accepted a “Friend of the Family” award from the Christian Coalition, he’s sponsored sweeping legislation for school vouchers, he supported a measure to bar gays from the Boy Scouts, and in 1998, he voted to throw Bill Clinton out of office in the Senate’s impeachment trial. He’s not only a life-long Republican, he’s already endorsed Bush’s campaign this year.
Sure, McCain has shown a moderate streak on campaign finance reform, health care, and taxes, but McCain is not a Republican in Democrats’ clothing.
And yet, people can’t stop talking about a Kerry-McCain ticket. Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) said he thinks it’s a good idea and just about everyone seems to agree that these two would beat Bush and Cheney fairly easily in November.
Again, just to reemphasize, this is just a fun thought experiment. I still don’t believe there’s any chance of this happening. But if it did, it seems to me the important point would be weighing the likely centrist vote pick-up against the far-left defections.
I remember six months ago a lot of the Dem community shunned Wesley Clark because he had voted for Republicans in the past. This, in some people’s eyes, made him a poor choice as a Dem leader, even though he had voted for Clinton and Gore in the last three presidential elections and was running as an enthusiastic Democrat. If Clark hadn’t “paid his dues” to the party, how would one explain John McCain to the Dem faithful?
If Kerry picked a Bush-endorsing, anti-choice Republican running mate, the most liberal wing of the party would likely go berserk. They’d have every reason to. Aaron at naw raised this point well this morning.
Choosing McCain would give real ammunition to Ralph Nader and his cronies. It could lead to lots of Democrats staying home on Election Day.
I think that’s absolutely true. A surprisingly large number of liberals don’t think Kerry is liberal enough; having a bona fide Republican on the Dem ticket may drive them completely insane and into Ralph Nader’s waiting arms.
The question then becomes whether the far-left defections would be dwarfed by the centrist and moderate Republican pickups. I know a lot of people assume this is a no-brainer, but I’m not convinced.
There are plenty of excellent Democrats out there who can help John Kerry win this year. My preference, for what it’s worth, would be to see Kerry pick one of them.