McCain VP Pick Can Disagree On Some Issues

(National Review Online)  This column was written by Ramesh Ponnuru.

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John McCain does not just have to pick a running mate. He also has to decide whether to require his running mate to agree with him on almost all of the major issues.

In 2000, Joe Lieberman had to move left on school choice, Social Security, and affirmative action to get on the Democratic ticket. After his shift in positions, he was aligned both with Al Gore, the presidential nominee, and with his party. McCain's choice is going to be trickier, since on several issues he himself is not in alignment with his party. If he picks a vice-presidential nominee from the conservative end of the party, should he make that nominee profess agreement with him on global warming, immigration, stem cells, and the like?

I think the answer to that question is a clear "no." For one thing, there would be no point in picking someone conservatives like while forcing him to abandon the positions that made conservatives like him in the first place. It might even make conservatives less supportive of a McCain candidacy if they think he is trying to remake the party in his image. It would, in addition, make it hard for McCain to continue running as a man who values integrity and conviction. It would make it harder for McCain to attract a running mate to begin with. A conservative politician is not going to want to tack left to win McCain's favor and then, if the ticket loses, move back right to realign himself with the Republican base for future elections. It could even, somewhat paradoxically, undercut McCain's case that he is a maverick Republican if he insists on making other Republicans conform to his views.

By far the better course, if McCain picks a running mate who is to his right on these issues, would be for that vice-presidential nominee to emphasize those issues where they agree but forthrightly admit to their disagreements. The veep nominee could say that he understands that President McCain will call the shots in his administration but that he will feel free to offer the president his own views in private.

Immigration is an intensely divisive issue among Republicans. But it should not be all that difficult for a McCain running mate to handle. There are scores of Republicans who could say something like the following while doing no violence to their records: "Like Senator McCain, I support getting control of our borders, meeting our economic needs, and treating all people humanely. I did not think that the bill he promoted got the balance exactly right, but I salute him for showing leadership on this issue and I trust his judgment on it more than I do that of Senator Barack Obama, who says that illegal immigrants should have driver's licenses."

Similarly, McCain cannot pick a running mate who has insisted for years that global warming is a myth. He can, however, pick someone who is not convinced that mandatory emissions reductions are the best answer to it. McCain should make a virtue out of necessity, and let his ticket stand for intellectual diversity while the Democrats offer the country liberal uniformity.
By Ramesh Ponnuru
Reprinted with permission from National Review Online

[davemstewart]

Imagine This: Barack Obama chooses John McCain as his VP running mate. And, John McCain chooses Barack Obama as his. Then let America decide AND be more united in the process. Imagine the message... and the possibilities. A united America... it''s a good thing!

[roger_inkart]

''McCain Should Let GOP Ticket Stand For Intellectual Diversity''

Yes he should. But if his recent antics are any indication it will stand for greed, explotation of the enviroment, obeying the radical rightwing, fearmongering and idiocy.

So, basically, standing for everything the GOP has become.

[Razzl]

I''m still baffled at the hierarchy of issues that Republicans think are important--McCain is satisfying the hard-core conservatives on every point regarding foreign policy and the Bush view of presidential power, yet some are worrying about a veep''s position on a wonk issue like tailpipe emissions. And I''m not even sure immigration is a conservative issue--the racist blowoff about it seems to come from apolitical types in the border states who want to gripe but aren''t politically active. It also seems like McCain spends too much time dealing with Evangelical ministers rather than evangelical issues, like abortion.

If McCain is to run a viable campaign this year he will need a clearer vision of what constitutes his party''s values than some of these confused pundits who are busy fighting the last war on behalf of fiscal conservatives or religious conservatives who have already jumped ship. Successful leadership involves knowing who your real followers are and how much slack they''re willing to cut you on what issues...

[bmadeline-2009]

Careful! There are NO intellectuals in the Rep party. Remember, you all call that "elitism". Stick with the dummies. It seems to work.

[kansas1946]

The National Review is so full of sh**. They hate John McCain and want to get some far-right whacko as his running mate. John is jumping all over the place on issues, so it is hard to tell what he is. Left..right..middle..or just plain confused.

[noloyalisti]

Is McSame still running or has he done the smart thing and dropped out of the race? If not, are there more than a couple people who would not be too embarrassed to vote for 4 more years of Bush. Because he is not fooling anyone, just look at his voting record. Has he voted more than a couple times except in lockstep with his Grand Oil Party?

[ricknuber]

McCain doesn''t need a VP who disagrees with him...he disagrees with himself quite enough.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/06/16/mccain-sets-a-new-record-10-flip-flops-in-two-weeks/

Of course, he could always pick a woman. That might help mitigate the damage of this ugly episode:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1024927/The-wife-John-McCain-callously-left-behind.html

[gkc99]

Intellectual Diversity? In the Repugniscum party?

What a laugh! Any Repug who dares to challenge the Bushit Neocons gets their head cut off.

Just look at Ron Paul.

It''s not like McSame is very different from the regime of Darth and Bushit on any substantive matter.

And if he tries to get different, he''ll get cut off at the gonads.

That''s how Repugs work--in lockstep, like good little fascists.

And the Nasty Repug Orif*ce knows it full well.