It could happen. On MSNBC's Morning Joe this a.m., Sen. Chuck Hagel said he'd be open to endorsing Barack Obama.
« McCain/Hagel Not Likely | Main | McCain's Regional Campaign Structure » Obama/Hagel Is Very Much Alive01 Apr 2008 10:16 am Comments (38)
An Obama/Hagel ticket is beyond unlikely. It will not happen. The Democratic primary is way too close for Obama to risk the alienation of fellow Democrats by picking a Republican running mate. Maybe if Hagel were to switch parties, and then make all kinds of sweet promises to Democratic party leaders, then he could be accepted. Don't get me wrong -- I'm not disrespecting Hagel. I like the guy. I think he'd be a good VP. But this is party politics. 
wow. why not just tap cheney then? if we're tapping a republican we might as well go all the way. i'm an independent who always supports democrats but a ticket with a republican would be the line i would not cross. i would never. ever. vote for an obama-hagel ticket. i would not have voted for kerry-mccain in 2004 either. i think we realize why now.
Love it. Was thinking the very same thing during "The Daily Show" last night. Hagel's the straight talker McCain pretends to be, and his Vietnam experience would help negate McCain's biggest selling point. Without someone like him on Barack's side (literally or figuratively), it'll be hard as a nation to dig any deeper into the relevance of McCain's war experience than the usual platitudes and reverence. If Obama needs to get independents, Hagel on the ticket would be a good way to make that happen.
A Republican VP is a great way for Obama to make sure he becomes the next Kennedy, if you know what I mean. At least Bush had the sense to choose a VP no one would want replacing him.
Hahaha. No, it could not happen. The veep candidate has to be endorsed by the Democratic convention and they are not going to endorse Hagel. Dream on.
Anyone check today's date? ;)
On a gut level, this feels pretty good. But there are a lot of "brain" level reasons why this is a bad idea. The most obvious is that Hagel is still a Republican. It would be great if he'd become an Obamacan and support Obama in that capacity, and he could even be in the cabinet, but not on the ticket. So in order to even entertain this idea, Hagel would have to first become a Democrat (because no no no way is any Republican allowed on the ticket)and also basically pledge that his "social" policy positions would be no worse than Harry Reid's (and isn't Hagel pretty traditionally conservative on social issues? I don't know how he does on economic issues). Then Obama could not be put in any situation where Hagel would take over. That would be better then...
Are there any domestic issues on which Hagel takes an even remotely Democratic stance? As far as I can tell it's not reproductive rights, the environment, stem cell research, civil rights, or the economy.
Hagel turned against Bush & the war with more passion an honesty than Hillary Clinton! He actively undermined Bush's reelection. He's an honest man.
Chuck Hagel said Barack was the best to unite the country on Charlie Rose. I like the dude. He could be Secretary of Defense (Vietnam vet) if not the VP.
Wow, I would LOVE to see an Obama-Hagel ticket. Talk about balance and having two people with exquisite judgment leading the Executive Branch. Would be a sea change. Could be a huge draw in bringing in independents and Republicans who love their country more than their party affiliation. Talk about great counterprogramming against John McCain, who is likely to choose a really appealing Vice President, maybe an up and comer. (He has to.) But ron might have hit on the flaw: what about those Democrats who can't or won't think outside the box? Who would probably start a "Draft Hillary" movement if they saw a Republican or former Republican on the national ticket? Obama-Hagel '08. Resotore judgment and sanity to the White House.
My politics are somewhere to the left of Bernie Sanders, but I would vote for an Obama/Hagel ticket. I would vote for Hagel over almost anyone because each and every social and economic issue I think is vitally important cannot be solved unless the Iraq War is solved, first. Ending the Iraq War is the first step to doing anything else, and Hagel is the closest thing to being politically bullet-proof and trustworthy on that issue. No one has been a more effective critic of the Iraq War than Hagel (one part the depth of his critique of the war, one part his credentials). Plus he has integrity, even if his politics are otherwise too conservative for me. I'd rather lose on major issues in an open fight with Hagel than have the Clintons throw me under the bus when I no longer serve their self-interest. Hagel stood up to Bush and Cheney when they were the heads of his own party. The Clintons??? Go ask Lani Guinier, or black people generally, or the Bosnian Muslims, or the Rwandans, or all those women Bill screwed and Hillary tried to intimidate into not talking......or ask Obama about how proud Hillary is to be in the race with him! Joe
Two honest, authentic, intelligent, inspiring politicians on the same ticket? Is America ready for that?
Veep has to be a Democrat. And there's a sound argument against putting Rs into defense positions, as it suggests Ds can't handle them. But if Hagel becomes an Independent, he could be a good choice for some of the FP posts.
Hagel as Sec. of Defense (but not VP).
Hagel for Sec. of Defense (but not VP).
I don't understand this knee jerk rejection of putting a responsible Republican on the ticket. The formula that somehow Hagel = Cheney is just juvenile and dumb. It would only enhance Obama's credibility as a statesman and a leader to reach out this way. I don't care whether the other person has a (D) after their name or an (R) and, after the last eight years, I don't think most intelligent voters do either.
Dickerson writes "What did Richardson Get?" for his endorsement. Now you, when all he apparently said is that he's considering endorsing? What's with the unsubtle suggestions that the only way Obama can get his endorsements is through buying them? Granted, a lot of endorsers at this point are holding out to see what they may be able to get, since Obama has it won, but I guarantee one thing: Obama is not offering up veep. Way too sensitive a choice to sell it for a piddling endorsement here. Check yourself.
God I hope not. Should anything happen to President Obama, we'd be stuck with a fairly conservative Republican president. Hagel's a good and decent man, and I'm with him on foreign policy, but I want a Democrat to be looking out for my interests when it comes to healthcare and the economy. I do like the idea of Bloomberg, I must say. He's a Republican in name only. And he practices the kind of thoughtful policy wonkery I find very attractive. And strategically, such a move couldn't fail to help Obama with Jewish voters.
I'm not sure how well an Obama/Hagel ticket would fly with the hardcore Dems out there, especially those who are diehard Clinton supporters looking for a reason not to support Obama in the general. Personally, I think that Jim Webb would be a safer, if not better, choice. The ironic thing is that he is ideologically pretty similar to Chuck Hagel but with a (D) after his name. Hagel should definitely be considered for a cabinet position, such as Sec. of Defense. Richardson would make a pretty good Sec. of State. Oh, the choices...
On second thought, an Obama/Hagel ticket might not be so crazy. Hagel would certainly bring some red states into play that ordinarily might go solidly for McCain. The electoral map could change dramatically with an Obama/Hagel ticket.
Um, Ron? An "independent who always supports Democrats" is, in fact, a Democrat. An independent, by definition, is willing to support either party ... hence the term "independent."
Dont like it. Hagel is a lot of talk. When the chips were down he backed off in the Senate and always backed Bush. He is a one trick pony at best.
Hagel as VP is a bad move, the VP nees to be with the president on domestic policy. Defense makes sense, his foreign policy lines up pretty much down the line with Obama, more so than a lot of Democrats.
Hagel would be a terrific Secretary of Defense in an Obama administration. This line, towards the end of a NY Times Magazine cover story, says it all about Hagel: "I don't have to be president; I don't have to be a senator. I have to live with myself." I think that's the key to the man.
Hagel: a Republican with integrity. The proverbial needle in a haystack. Obama would also have to look pretty far among the Democrats.
No thanks. If Obama wanted to create a ticket with non-Democrats then he should have run as an independent. He's going to be the Democratic nominee and should have a Democrat as his VP.
He may not be VP but you will see more reps and indeps than in any previous administration w/ President Obama. The guy came out for nuclear energy in Pa yesterday. He wants progress - not politics. The old ways are over. Tell your parents! (Im 49).
Choosing someone like Chuck Hagel for a post in the Obama administration - yes, even as Veep - would be a master stroke, vividly consistent with Barack's calls for a break from the ossified political logjams and intractable tribal food fights our national politics have been mired in for decades. As for those fellow Dems who would require a "D" after everyone's name, I've gotta ask - who'd *really* give you the willys, a rabidly pro-war Lieberman(d) or an unabashedly anti-war Hagel(r)?
President Lincoln sought out people for his Cabinet who would challenge him on ideas. I'd think a President Obama would do the same thing. What this means for the Veep choice, who knows. I like what I've seen from Hagel. Most conservatives consider him a RINO but I think he'd do well to pull in independent voters if he aligned tightly with Obama.
Michael Bloomberg was talking with Hagel about being Bloomberg's running mate on an independent bid for the presidency. That talk ended with the McCain nomination. Bloomberg has also had a number of meetings and conversations with Obama and from what I've read they seem to agree on many things. Bloomberg also introduced Obama before an economic speech Obama gave in New York City on March 27. I think both Hagel and Bloomberg will endorse Obama and I believe they both would be appointed to Cabinet positions in a prospective Obama administration. While I have no difficulty with the idea of a cross-party ticket for the presidency, I believe it will be difficult for Obama to do after this nomination battle because the Clinton supporters that Obama would need to bring back into the fold are the ones who would be most irked by a cross-party ticket. All things considered I still give the edge to Obama/Webb, particularly given the support Obama will need in the rust belt and the possibility of bringing Virginia into the blue column.
I like it for the campaign. But also, no one's mentioned how Hagel as VEEP also would help create a new governing coalition. The binds that keep both parties' coalitions together are fragile. The prize goes to the side that makes a bold move that breaks up the other's. The Democratic base should accept Hagel as a move in that direction--then we can achieve more of what we believe in. He'd have to break from the Republican party and adopt an acceptable "platform," but it wouldn't have to go all the way
Bad news for Ron. If you always support democrats and wouldn't ever vote if a republican is on the ticket, then you are not an "independent".
Obama/Hagel would be Unstoppable
Obama/Hagel would be Unstoppable
Obama/Hagel would be Unstoppable
President Obama PERFECT. Or No biden as VP.
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I think this would be a terrific ticket. Far better than pairing Obama with Richardson, Casey or Warner, the most oft-mentioned names. (And possibly even better than Obama-Biden, which has been my first choice.) Hagel would bring seriousness on defense issues, Washington experience and credibility to his claim to want to reach across the aisle with like-minded Republicans.
Posted by Howard B. | April 1, 2008 10:22 AM