How is McCain being a maverick when he is forced to select a VP that is more like what the GOP base wants? ?

Question

McCain wanted his long time friend Lieberman, and was prepared to pick Ridge or Pawlenty. Pawlenty was slated to be the VP pick until at the last minute when McCain was forced to pick ultraconservative Sarah Palin in order to please the GOP base, which had long been dismissive of his "independence". How can it be claimed that McCain is still the "maverick" that he once had been?

Answer 1

What evidence do you have to support this?

"Pawlenty was slated to be the VP pick until at the last minute when McCain was forced to pick ultraconservative Sarah Palin in order to please the GOP"

Answer 2

He chose the female governor of Alaska. If  he did the expected, Mitt Romney would be his running mate. This is a high risk move and typifies the concept of him being a "maverick." Hopefully, they both get inaugurated in January.

Answer 3

He's not being a maverick any longer because he knows that he's losing....He has to play his hand like this so that he doesn't alienate his GOP base...but, he made the mistake of assuming that he could win over women's votes with his last minute, and un-reasoned choice of Sarah Palin.

Answer 4

McCain has proven to be a tool that plays the polls, just like most other politicians.  

Obama has a lot of character.  I haven't seen a president admit that he isn't the typical candidate for the position.  

Answer 5

This is exactly the problem I have with McCain now. i was a HUGE supporter of his back in 2000 and through the primary season this year I was gogi nto give him an honest shot at my vote. Since he has become the 'presumptive nominee' of the republican party thought.. his positions have begun to sway disturbingly towards theirs. So much so, that I can no longer consider him a Mavrick, or fool myself into believing he is go going to do anything to change the partisan nature of Washington.

He isn't a maverick anymore. If he was he wouldn't be at the top of the republican ticket. Simple as that. The only sense that he is still a 'mavrick' is that no one knows what crazy thing he is gonna do next.

tom bailey: I've seen that reported in several different independent sources that had conversations wit he Pawlenty administration. I'll see if I can find a link again.

Answer 6

Lieberman is a rag waving in the wind. Whichever way it blows, he does too. Dem one day, GOP next. Someone displayed good judgment. No party needs a traitor.

Answer 7

He's not but its not like he'll say that...is it?  

Answer 8

By taking a hugh gamble and picking her shows he is a maverick.  Pat Buchanan said that by picking her it could cause major changes in Washington.  He suggests that if McCain wins that with the possibility of him not running for a second term of seeing her heading the Republican ticket and Hillary heading the Democratic ticket

Answer 9

Your DEM playbook should bore you. Why are you such a slave to it ?

Answer 10

You watch all that crup?  (Well so do I for both the dems and reps.  Don't have cable so I rely on 3 hours of PBS coverage per night for the conventions).

My own view is that most of the GOP guys that the base wanted like Romney or Giuliani would be a drag in the general election.  Lieberman would be a ticket I would like in theory, but it would be a drag both with the base and with the independents who are tired of Joe.  Ridge might be a little to tied to Bush.

Pawlenty would be an interesting choice.  A little lacking in experience.  But I think it would be a turn off for the base.  Most people have a lot of prejudice in them.  Usually they just ascribe it to being unsure if the other person has the same values they do.  It takes a long time for someone who is not white to be vetted by the public to the point where he or she is accepted.  To become someone beyond race like Condi Rice, Colin Powell, Tiger Woods or Obama.

I know I'm using african americans as an example.  But I'm sure the republican base would have the same feelings about an Indian American.  There just would not be enough time to introduce him to the american people.  The base would not turn out sufficiently for McCain to be elected.  (Both parties do a lot of polling on this type of issue)

Palin always intrigue me when her name was mentioned.  Her name has been bounced around for the past 6 months.  I don't give a dang that she has a pregnant 17 year old daughter.  Although I have some concerns that Palin would decide to make her the most famous pregnant 17 year old in the country.  I also wonder if they teach s*x ed in Alaska.  But these issues are trivial.

I am far more concerned the she is aligned with the axis of stupidity in the rep party.  The Govenator (Schwarzenegger) believes in global warming and Bush is no longer denying it.  Did you see the answers to my global warming question?  Complete denial by Y!A supporters of Palin. It was laughable.

Quite frankly, the most pressing long term threat to this nation and the well-being of the human race are environmental.  What are the consequences of global warming?  Loss of drinking water, crop failures, drought, famine, migration, immagration, war.  What are the consequences of global warming and ocean acidification combined with current fishing techniques?  Loss of most of the fish in the sea, large scale ecosystem collapse, an ocean full of jelly fish.

I think McCain picked Palin on a whim.  Please the base, divert the remainder.  But I have seen too much denial of reality by this administration.  If Palin proves to be one of them, I will not vote for McCain.

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On one side of the spectrum we have the kooks and on the other the crazyies.  And right now there seem to be more of the crazies.  How have so many failed to be well-educated?  At least the democrats are more likely to be reality based.

I still see McCain as a maverick.  But he is willing to compromise to win.  Most people in his situation would do the same.  If he can't get elected, what is the point in chosing the best person to lead the country if he could no longer lead?

Answer 11

The key word here is "forced".  There are restrictions in the political world that prevented him from picking Lieberman.  I believe if there weren't such restrictions, you would see a McCain/Lieberman ticket right now.  You can't blame McCain for not being a maverick when he was outright barred from reaching across the party lines.

Answer 12

Actually, the Palin pick makes a lot of sense.  I don't necessarily agree with David Brooks's assessment that the VP has to balance the President's instincts, but his article does provide some insight as to why Palin would fit in so well in a McCain Presidency.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/02/opinio...

Answer 13

He was forced to chose a candidate that would give him the bet chance to win. Pawlenty is talented but would not help McCain beat Obama.

Answer 14

You were there? Oh, you got this from some ravings of a liberal pundit on-line! oh yeah...you know something...

Answer 15

"forced"? Nice try, but this is about the weakest argument I've seen today, and there have been some really weak ones.

Answer 16

Don't know where you got your information but it is dead wrong. Palin is not a party favorite..... Yet!