Changing a Maverick

[tongodeon]

My Cambodian lawyer and I were talking about political incentives. The way that the political marketplace causes both parties to produce candidates who converge on the policies most desirable to the largest number of people, regardless of whether the party historically supports those issues

Comments

[mmcirvin]

If you're a Democrat you might not like McCain but how many other Republicans would Democrats rather see as our 44th President?

I can think of several, but none of them could conceivably get the party's presidential nomination: Olympia Snowe, Bill Weld, some others. I was going to say Lincoln Chafee but I think he just left the party.

[tongodeon]

Yeah, I was careful to say "how many other Republicans" because I recognize that there a few Republicans who would be more acceptable than McCain. But how many of Republicans ran in the primary? How many even launched an investigative committee? Of the Republicans that it's realistic to imagine actually getting on the balot, McCain is about as good as it gets.

[mmcirvin]

Yeah, I think I'd even prefer Arnold Schwarzenegger, probably the highest-profile Republican centrist right now--but he, of course, is constitutionally ineligible.

[flwyd]

Of the Republicans that it's realistic to imagine actually getting on the balot, McCain is about as good as it gets.

I like the prospects of President McCain better than any other recent Republican primary participant (possibly except Ron Paul), but I'm rather worried about the person selected as the proverbial heartbeat away. Historically, the U.S. presidency is a job with nearly a 20% fatality rate. With incredible improvements in medicine and protective services in the last fifty years, I give him a much better than 80% chance of survival. But I don't want even a 5% chance of President Palin.

[pacotelic]

Great stuff!

[spiritualmonkey]

Let's not forget to ask the question, "Who is Randy Scheunemann?":Randy Scheunemann is a top adviser to the McCain campaign, a lobbyist and a former director of the neo-conservative Project for New American Century."

"Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran!"

[sploof]

I don't know how much of this is accurate, but it's an interesting take on McCain's history.

Shook McCain's hand?

[anonymous]

Just curious, but if you shook his hand in 1992, that might mean I did as well. Was that at an AD event?

Re: Shook McCain's hand?

[tongodeon]

It was indeed. :)