The In Their Dreams Ticket: McCain-Lieberman in '08

Shakespeare's Sister dropped me a note to remind me that I was ahead of Newsweek on this one.  In a moment of cynical amusement, apparently, I observed that Joe Lieberman seems to be angling to be John McCain's running mate in 2008.

Now, it seems, folks down in Washington have taken note of the obvious too.  All that egregious and embarrassing mutual self-love and self-congratulation has to be leading up to something.

Actually, I don't remember telling Mrs Shakes this, and if I really had to bet on it, I'd say that what Lieberman actually wants is to be President McCain's Secretary of Defense.  But I'd love to see it become the general perception.

Both Lieberman and McCain have clearly been persuaded by the flattery of the Beltway Insiders that what the Beltway Insiders think America should want is what America does want.  Lieberman has obviously interpreted his star status on the Sunday Morning Bobbleheadfests and the fact that Karl Rove was more than willing to use him as a tool as meaning more than the fact that he's a perfect shill for the Insiders' own views and a Republican tool.  McCain long ago bought the idea that he is the Maverick Savior of the Nation.  The two are made for each other.

But I suspect that the Republican Right will see him Lieberman as what he is, a smug Northeastern elitist opportunist trying to crash their party and if they really believe McCain wants him as his VP that'll just prove to them that McCain is what the Media says he is, a non-true believer.  Nice irony that will be.

McCain is only a viable Presidential candidate because of his undeserved rep as a maverick, but he can't get nominated except by kowtowing to the Republican Right and convincing them he's not the maverick everyone says he is, which the Right is not going to believe because the Media keeps insisting he is a maverick, further proof of that fiction being his wanting fellow fictional maverick and ersatz Democrat, Joe Lieberman, on his ticket.

In case anybody has missed this, the Republican party has reacted to the last election by veering even farther to the Right.  Ignore the jitters of a few non-Red State Republican senators and Congressmen who will very probably lose their jobs in 2008.  The Republican Party is now and will continue to be for the next decade at least the Southern Right Wing Radical Party.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Republican nominee for President of the United States, Senator...

Sam Brownbeck.

Ideally, then, the two pretend independents will run on a fake Independent ticket and Republican voters who aren't crazy will vote for them in a three way race pitting united Democrats against divided Republicans.

How long, Shakes, before Newsweek picks up on this one?  After all, I'm now the bellwether of the Beltway Insiders.

Comments

[Mary]

So is Mick Huckabee now the designated Republican With Integrity? I saw him on the Daily Show the other night, where Jon seemed quite taken from him, as he once was with McCain. Huckabee got spontaneous audience applause for saying that he believes life begins at conception but that we should work to fund, protect and support children's lives after they are born as well.

[Shakespeare's Sister]

the two pretend independents will run on a fake Independent ticket

That's actually quite close to what you said in the first place. And at the time you said it, I accused you of deliberately trying to give me nightmares.

[AZrider]

I've always expected that McCain would be heir apparent to Bush, and that things had to get a whole lot worse before a Dem would have a shot at president. With events of the last year or so, it's looking much more likely that the Repub voters are starting to abandon Bush, and they would not support McCain --let alone McCain and Lieberman. So, for that reason... GO Saint John and Holy Joe! Repubs won't vote for you, and the Dems surely won't. Great matchup for the pundits, though.

[Jim]

Hagel and Huckabee, in that order, are the most threatening GOP candidates. I can see McCain declaring some kind of Bull Moose bullshit independent candidacy if he sees the nomination slipping away from him. The man has an ego that could swallow Bush's sense of entitlement.

[Ken Houghton]

I started out rooting for Brownback, until I realised that Failed Republican candidates (even one who would lose probably 45-50 states) get Key Pundit Positions, and having Brownback talking about the Failed Edwards Administration (op. cit. Dave Barry, which, fortunately, Duncan Black in a previous role also remembered) would be too painful.