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| Novel Idea for Kerry’s Running Mate |
| 2004-06-19 |
| Off-the-wall idea; right up Kerry’s alley. Hat tip: Country Store EFL National Review Online, June 18, 2004, by Leonard Albin Before the presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry arrives in Boston (the presumptive site of the Democratic Convention), he needs to name his running mate. His campaign staff has spent the last few weeks vetting lists of candidates — probing their tax returns, military records, video rentals, and scheduling prostate exams. No one is exempt — not even Hillary. This guy’s funny. As you’d expect, this tedious and old-fashioned process has so far produced the tired, old, familiar names — the "usual suspects," like Richard Gephardt and John Edwards. But, in my view, John Kerry’s best choice for vice president is... John Kerry. The main advantage of Kerry serving as his own running mate is that he could run as a centrist and as a liberal at the same time. The presidential candidate Kerry could use the perennial Democratic ploy of moving toward the center, and position himself as a "moderate." That’s the Kerry who voted for the Iraq war. Meanwhile, the vice-presidential candidate Kerry could lurch left and shore up all his liberal followers. That’s the Kerry who voted against the $87 billion in funding for the Iraq war. Likewise, the presidential John Kerry could happily drive an SUV, while the vice-presidential Kerry could make speeches fiercely denying that he owned one — even in the same parking lot. In this way, the Democratic party could cover more bases than a utility infielder. And that’s a recipe for victory. Best of all, this ultimate "fusion" ticket would be perfectly balanced, while creating the illusion of Democratic unity, always an elusive goal... Of course, some critics will assert that the benefits of a Kerry-Kerry ticket would be nullified by the 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In that amendment, electors of the Electoral College are prohibited from casting a vote for both a president and vice president from their own state. That means a ticket with both candidates from the same state isn’t smart. But fortunately, Kerry owns, with his wife, more than one home. One John Kerry could claim residence in Massachusetts, while the other could use the ski chalet in Idaho as his residence. If that doesn’t satisfy the Supreme Court, Teresa might set up a couple of the justices with a nice retirement package — like an oceanfront house in Palm Beach. Naturally, the Republican party will ridicule the Kerry-Kerry ticket as a last-ditch maneuver of a party bereft of ideas and candidates. But the plan is not without historical precedent. Before the passage of the 12th Amendment in 1804, candidates such as George Washington (F., Va.) and Thomas Jefferson (DR., Va.) ran for both president and vice president, in effect, at the same time. Under the old rules, whoever got the most electoral votes became president, and the runner-up became vice president... That might be interesting. Kerry-Kerry: One candidate, one ticket, one America! And, just maybe, more than one state. Who knows? It might work. Kerry’s certainly got enough ego for 2. |
| Posted by:Barbara Skolaut |
| #1 Novel Idea for Kerry’s Running Mate Someone with credibility? |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-06-20 10:07:17 PM |