Endorsement of the Week

Last night a true epiphany occurred while I was watching "Countdown with Keith Obermann" last night (8 and 12 pm EST on MsNBC). One of the stories he followed was the response of John McCain to the idea -- a suggestion floated right here several weeks ago -- that he accept a hypothetical request from John Kerry to run as the Democratic Vice Presidential candidate.

Now, John McCain is a fellow that puts the candid in candidate. He is a maverick, a passionate advocate for changing what he sees as a corrupt system of Government. He is also -unlike John F. Kerry- a Republican Senator from Arizona.

The repercussions of McCain's endorsement of Kerry and his tacit repudiation of Bush (running on the other party's ticket?) can only feed the growing movement to delve deeper into the W. Presidency. From questioning the Administration's stance on the 9/11 commission, the Energy meetings, Halliburton's Iraqi contract and growing overcharges, the oil interests role in the middle East, the House of Saud's influence, and Bin Laden's continued freedom as well as a host of ethical lapses from misrepresentation and spying in the UN and US Senate, the continued rental of the Lincoln bedroom and the unseemly cronyism between Ken Lay, Antonyn Scalia and Dick Cheney, the blush is off the W. rose. McCain's interview only strengthened those concerns.

In addition, John McCain is a hero in every sense of the word to most Americans. His appeal crosses party lines, and McCain knows it. He has demonstrated that he is capable of calling out Bush and Cheney on their hypocrisy in the past, but his announcement that, "although he found the idea improbable" he would be thrilled to serve with Kerry was a revelation to most independents.

Independents cast a vote based on the individual and not the party. McCain has the chops of a statesman, standing up to his party when he feeless it necessary. He defended Jim Jeffords; he ensured that McCain-Feingold passed; the way he deports himself in general on nearly every subject is a virtual primer on ethics and accountability in government service.

Now, many Democrats are ranting and raving about the idea of a Republican on the ticket, and understandably so. The current climate of gotcha politics is sickening, and the double standard applied to the last two presidents is obvious and wrong. But on the Democratic side there are some truly awful choices for Veep. Among these are the 'yellow dog' Democrats who have dubbed themselves Democrats, criticizing Democratic party ideals, liberalism and parity for wage earners and executives and using state Democratic party workers and monetary support to get themselves re-elected, sucking at the special interest trough alongside GOP insiders and predictably supporting GOP initiatives.

"Democrats" like LeBreaux, who vote in lock-step with the GOP on minimum wage and tax issues are okay because they wear the Democratic "team" label? I would never vote to allow a "yellow dog" to occupy any part of the White House again in this lifetime, though I do tend to favor "hawks" more than "doves" ever since the Scoop Jackson campaign years and years ago.

McCain appeals to me as a person, not as a Republican, I'll admit that. I happen to think that there have been greedy, corrupt individuals on BOTH sides of the aisles in Washington but there are also decent and caring people who truly seek the good of our country and not the personal enrichment of themselves. As a lifelong democrat I am offended at the idea all Republicans are evil. I do not like Joe Lieberman because I think he is too indebted to special interests; I feel the same about Edwards and Gephardt. There are more good than bad in the Democratic party in my estimation and that is why I support them, but I have voted Republican before and will again.

Bi-Partisanship is part of the process our Republic's very structure demands. If we cannot work with both sides of the aisle and if we can't show the average voter that gridlock will not be the general rule in a Kerry Administration, we are sunk. That is how Bush defeated Gore in 2000 (well, how he managed to come close enough to steal it), by painting himself as a centrist that would allow for the Congress and the Judiciary to gain some momentum and allow our country to run smoother - in actual terms it allowed poorly devised policy to be slammed through Congress with a ramrod. Terrible government was the result, because Bush is not a centrist, but the swing voters instinctively want to elect someone who is bipartisan.

The way our government works, we either have to have control centered in a single party as it is now - Senate, House, Judiciary and Executive branches all GOP - which will serve the electorate it represents or we have to elect statesmen and women who will work together to draft legislation that reflects the best good of the entire nation based on many voices and perspectives.

Personally, I would love to see former Secretary of State Madeline Albright in the VP slot. She is charismatic, intelligent, a master of foreign policy and has a long and well-documented history of speaking her mind even when it did not dovetail with her superiors. She is also one of the few Secretaries of State not to be indicted, caught in a lie publicly or behaving unethically (Note to Powell lovers everywhere: your guy is OUT). I believe Albright is an outstanding VP choice, but I doubt the Democrats will draft her.

Similarly, Gore Vidal would be wildly popular with independents. Like Kerry after his return from Vietnam Vidal is outspoken, eloquent and most importantly beholden to none. Kerry went on to serve in the Senate while Vidal has made his life's work keeping the media and the American government honest. Vidal is the icon of governmental oversight. His record in the Congress --and since-- speaks for itself, which is why the rank and file Democratic pols will never even allow Vidal near enough to Senator Kerry to discuss his short list.

In a perfect world an eloquent and intelligent man like Congressman Barney Frank would be an amazing choice for V.P, a skilled debater and yet a solid consensus builder. Frank is bright, energetic, has a good political ear and is a staunch advocate for the working poor, civil rights and the rights of women. Think of the good a ticket like that would and could do!!

The REALITY is that Frank and many other choices on the Democratic side are not palatable to the general public due to predjudices, biases and distortions.

It is unlikely indeed that McCain will be Kerry's VP, unless the polls are so close before the GOP election that the Kerry campaign feels it has to somehow reach the people that are staunchly supporting Bush. I've spoken with people who actually voted for him because "Oprah liked Bush's hug and she thought Gore didn't seem to like her". Now, where do you start with someone who votes based on a talk show hosts' bruised ego?!?

However, John McCain is very nearly the Oprah of the Senate right now, with his populist appeal and charisma. McCain has demonstrated over the years that he's an independent thinker, beholden to no party and to no special interests. His recent statements to the press that he would CONSIDER being Kerry's Number Two Man are a deft and thinly veiled endorsement of the Democratic challenger. McCain has once again shown his stature as a statesman by trying to help unseat a corrupt and divisively ideological administration -- and he has displayed considerable political acumen in the process, having endorsed Kerry in a way that cannot be attacked by the GOP rank-and-file.

It's interesting that partisanship has become so divisive. I remember when ideolougues didn't rule the country. Government is not a football game to me, but I also participate in local and regional races, and I tend to look at positions and truly bipartisan action as bellwethers to good government.

Do I support the minimum wage being raised? Do I want the business and environmental rollbacks, the lopsided tax policies (income isn't taxed but now wages are?!?), the disastrous foreign policy gaffes and broken treaties reversed? Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes and yes! That has nothing to do with what the open speculation about a possible McCain run with Kerry has produced.

The point was and is that McCain had the opportunity to state whether or not he would be willing to be Kerry's Democratic running mate against George W. Bush. That he would help defeat Bush sent a message to the more progressive GOP voter that I believe will resonate, far more than labels or insults will.

Partisanship is a wedge that divides our country in half. McCain, and the "Endorsement of the Year" might prove to be the undoing of the "us and them" mentality that has lead to waste and gridlock in our Congress for so long.

The Curmudgeon