A little pre-rambling: I put this in IMHO because I’m not looking to start any kind of heated political debate.
I’m a democrat all the way and have always (Ha! “Always.” I’ve only been old enough to vote for like…two years, but that isn’t the point) voted- federally, at least- democrat.
But I was just watching John McCain on CSpan (that’s right- us 19 year olds really do have CRAZY Saturday nights) and I realized something: if he ran for president on the Republican ticket, I would vote for him.
Why? I’m sure someone could elaborate on this more eloquently than I, but McCain seems like a very decent guy-- which says a lot for a politician. He’s a republican, but he seems to care more about what is right than what is popular within his party.*
Anyway: who could run for president in 2008 (or 2012, for that matter) that would make you vote for the other party? Democrats, Repubs, and everybody else alike
*I certainly haven’t followed the man TOO closely or read much on him, so I am speaking just from the shows I have seen him on/ interviews I’ve read/ etc. From what I’ve seen, he seems like an all around good guy.
McCain would be the only 'pubbie who could win and not make me want to throw a brick through the television on election night.
I await the onslaught of Republicans entering this thread singing the praises of Hillary…just as I await winning the lottery tonight. Probably equal chances.
I am a republican but a disenfrancised moderate Republican. The McCain, Guilliano ticket is my dream ticket.
What would make vote opposite party. My party being taken over by Right Wing Religious scary people. I voted for Kerry (shudder) last election and I voted for Clinton second time over Dole. Even though Clinton was a sleazebag, he was a good president. (duck from rotten vegetables thrown at me as I offend everyone).
I would vote for Hillary if Jeb was the opponent.
If McCain runs, the Right wing will squash him. They hate him as much as any liberal. He threatens their agenda and control of GOP politics. They would rather lose to a Dem than let him take back the GOP towards the center.
It would depend who she ran against, but I would have tremendous difficulty voting for Hillary Clinton. 2008 will mark 20 years of the presidency being Bush, Clinton and Bush. I do not believe this country was ever intended to have a royal family, or even two of them.
Count me out; after the way McCain whored himself out to the GOP in 2004, I’ve given up any illusions that he’s anything more than another opportunistic Republican.
I can’t think of anyone. McCain says a lot of the right things, but he’s pro-life and I agree with rjung about his behavior. Colin Powell might be the closest, but he has the same issue and I think he’s done with politics. That’s what he says, anyway.
Didn’t Biden actually state on the Daily Show that his dream running mate (assuming he got the Democratic nomination in '08) would, in fact, be John McCain?
I am another who thinks of myself more as a classic republican (closer to libertarian, now), and frankly I would vote for any Democrat with a pulse who can at least pretend to be fiscally/economically reasonable.
I am not sure if I would vote for Hillary or not; like earlier posters, I think it would depend (probably too much) on who she was running against, and whether the Republicans could nominate someone who could show some signs of being socially reasonable.
I actually think we could really, really use one term of medium to strong Democratic leadership. They could solidify (my stances on) some key issues like abortion and gay rights that the populace at large is pretty split on; they probably wouldn’t be able to push through any drastic changes in some of the other areas where I find Democratic policy more disagreeable; and they might force the Republicans to be a little more sane when they tried to take back what they lost.
Of course, I don’t particularly think that scenario will happen anytime soon :smack:
Democrats like McCain right now because he’s a bit of a gadfly, and he’s a thorn in the side of Bush.
But if he runs for president, you’ll all change your minds. McCain is very conservative. Once the Democrats get their talking points against him set up, you’ll forget about all the stuff you liked and focus on his conservative beliefs, and you won’t like them.
On the Democrat’s side, I think some of the most appealing cross-over candidates are Joe Biden and Bill Richardson.
I agree with this absolutely. As with DMark above, I wouldn’t throw a brick through the TV if he won, but I wouldn’t vote for him. He is a standard-issue Republican with standard-issue Republican stances. The saving graces for him are that he is honest, and he is not in hock to the religious right.
Honestly, off the top of my head, I can’t think of a single Republican I would vote for. I just don’t agree with their stances on the issues. Even when I haven’t voted for a Democrat, I’ve not voted for a Republican. (Except for John Warner that one time in Virginia.)
There is no one the Republicans could run who would make me consider for a moment voting Republican. It has nothing to do with the characteristics of whoever this hypothetical candidate might be and everything to do with the Republican Party having shown itself to be unworthy of holding control over all three branches of the federal government. Undoing the damage of the last eight years will take long enough without my voting to make it 12.
