Thought Experiment: McCain Versus Gore Versus Tancredo



(image via campaignbuttons-etc)

Imagine the following: After a bruising 2008 Democratic primary in which Evan Bayh, Bill Richardson and Hillary Clinton all vie for the center -- thus cancelling each other out -- and Al Gore beats out John Edwards and Senator Russ Feingold on the Progressive side, Gore wins the nomination, breathtakingly, in California.

Contrast the Gore (smooth; well-received) and Clinton (pandering) Martin Luther King Day speeches and you'll see, begrudgingly, that Gore is the more seasoned of the two. He has ventured 5 years in the political wilderness, ready for this fight (The notorious Howard Dean endorsement over Joe "future Rumsfeld replacement" Lieberman in 2004 will be seen, ultimately, as far-sighted in shoring up the Moveon.org and Nation Magazine segment of the Democratic Party; his Current TV gig and hobnobbing at Sundance helps with the hiperati).

And then picks Hillary Clinton as his running mate.

Bill Clinton campaigns on their behalf (For Secretary General of the UN?), noting, "buy two, get one free." Richardson gets on board immediately, campaigning in New Mexico (And feuiding, behind-the-scenes, with Richard Holbrooke over who will be the next Secretary of State)

On the Right, John McCain edges out the thus-far undefeated Senator Allen, Newt Gingrich, the ridiculously ambitious Mitt Romney and Rove's boy Sam Brownback (Does anyone really see Pataki's quixotic bid going anywhere except a prime time speech on an off day at the National Convention?) . McCain even wins South Carolina with the aide of fellow traveller Lindsay Graham. Gingrich gets on board after he is, through back-channels, offered Secretary of State)

And then he picks Condi Rice as his running mate.

On the far right, the gang at American Conservative Magazine (Pat Buchanan), right wing radio, and the conservative web sites, angry at the moderate Republican stance on immigration, throw their weight behind the Reform Party -- and Congressman Tom Tancredo.

And then Tancredo picks billionaire Tom Golisano for his running mate.

Granted, Golisano couldn't even deliver New York State to the Reform Party, which, probably, will be more into moving the Southwestern state plight of Immigration into the race. But Golisano is filthy rich. He could, conceiveably, funnel $100 million into the 2008 Reform Party campaign.

And, moreover, Tancredo could register disaffected Southern and Western voters (As well as cut into the margins of McCain-Rice in a close race against Gore-Clinton).

Gore-Clinton would focus on "competence (Gore-Clinton drinking game: take a shot every time either mentions "competence" in a debate)." Between the two --Or, three, counting Bill Clinton-- they Gore-Clinton would represent a political cosmos of policy experience.

McCain-Rice would focus on "principle," "campaign finance reform," and "military strength." HMcCain would be George Bush's legacy on carrying out the War on Terror. McCain, as war hero and maverick, would contrast nicely with Rice, who, if Fortuna smiles sweetly upon Madame Secretary, could not inconceiveably make major gains on a Palestinian-Israeli peace (vaguely possible), the containment of Iran (More likely), and a reenvelopment of Russia away from the Chinese sphere of influence (Quite possible, as Rice is ultra charming and speaks Russian fluently).

And could you imagine a Hillary-Rice debate? We salivate over the possibility. For policy geeks like The Corsair, this would be the second coming of the Lincoln-Douglass debates.

The wild card in this little scenario would be the Golisano millions.

Just a little Corsair thought experiment.