McCain's Choice: Dukakis or Gore?

To the victor go the spoils, and to the loser, well, what does go to the loser? In recent presidential elections it seems that there are two paths the loser can take -- one of public redemption and refusal to be cast as irrelevant (see: Gore, Al), and one of obsequious obscurity (see: Dukakis, Michael). Guess which path John McCain is likely to take?

Yet for McCain to stay relevant, he'll need to make some bold moves over the next four, if not more, years to reclaim much of the honor lost during this hard-fought election. As of right now, McCain has no base. Not the right-wing Evangelicals he so desperately courted, not the few remaining fiscal conservatives he sold out for his shot at the crown, not the centrist Democrats who were originally supposed to be his ticket to victory, and certainly not the media, who in recent months have shown that perhaps while hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, a press corp repeatedly treated like a gaggle of idiots and lepers is capable of some fire, too. Alas, having lost the trust of however million Americans who voted for him, and the respect of nearly every American who didn't, McCain has been left behind to rue the day he ever heard the name Barack Hussein Obama, while history marches on double time without him.

How, then, can McCain be a Gore and not a Dukakis? Well, while Obama did indeed reclaim the White House for the Democrats, the other two branches of government are not quite fully-controlled by the party (and in the case of the Judicial Branch, not even close), and could cause not only a lot of headaches for the incumbent president, but for the American people too. Make no mistake -- the air is still sour in Washington, and despite Obama's calls for change and a move beyond partisan politics, you can bet without a filibuster-proof senate majority that once his grand schemes hit the Hill, many will be cut off at the knees, if not the neck. Times like these call for, dare I say, a maverick senator who votes from his head and his heart, and not by his political allegiances. With no chance of running for higher office again, McCain doesn't need to be in lock step with a party that until very recently he hated, and who in turn hated him. In short, John McCain is in a surprisingly enviable position: he owes nothin' to nobody.

The Dems will need a few Republicans to move across the aisle and join them on those particularly tricky pieces of legislation, and McCain could be one of those brave souls. And as if the potential for a political resurrection wasn't enough of a draw, luckily for him, some of the important issues that will soon be up for debate include the scaling back of unprecedented Executive powers, opening up stem cell research, reaffirming our commitment not to torture prisoners, saving the environment, cleaning up political cronyism, and rebooting the economy, all subjects that he already has (or had before the election) decent to good records on.

Moreover, now that McCain need not keep one eye on the presidency, he'll have more time to work on pet issues, especially those that could really use a helping hand from a man who will still wield a bit of power and influence, if only behind the scenes. The care of wounded and returning military veterans will only grow in importance over the next four years as Obama (hopefully) scales back our involvement in at least one war, if not two, and McCain happens to sit in a unique position of authority on the issue. With his help, it could become the serious national concern it should be, and he could become a champion of the underdog yet again.

At the age of seventy-two, most Americans would be figuring out how to gracefully retire, if they had not already done so years before. If McCain's up for it, and his tireless campaigning seems to suggest he is, he could instead be turning the page on an entirely new stage of his life. In the end, Barack Obama's win may have handed John McCain the keys he needed, if not necessarily wanted.

Follow David Weiner on Twitter: www.twitter.com/daweiner

Comments

[kwijibo]

John McCain will be the same man, the same senator he's always been. If he and Democrats happen to agree on something, he'll give them his vote.

John McCain has a proud legacy and needs no redemption, no atonement to maintain his relevance. Joe Biden's the one who has been pulled away from any meaningful job. He's a tie-breaker in a Senate that will need no ties broken. As VP, he can neither introduce legislation nor vote on it. He can neither dictate executive policy nor decide how it's carried out. All he can do is make suggestions to Obama and his staff.

Biden will have a tiny staff. Any policy ideas he has will have to be approved by Obama and his staff. The VP doesn't even have walk-in privileges to the Oval Office. Biden took himself away from a powerful chairmanship and seniority in the Senate and became an irrelevant, powerless VP. He'll be here surfing the net because there will be nothing else for him to do. Well, unless a head of state dies.

The way I see it, come Jan. 20, John McCain will have more power than Joe Biden. That's as things should be. Even Sarah Palin, as a governor, will have more power and authority than Vice President Joe Biden.

This is what's called a classic win-win situation.

[gabemill]

"Moreover, now that McCain need not keep one eye on the presidency, he'll have more time to work on pet issues"

Yeah, like trying to get the Saxby Chambliss re-elected to the US Senate....­......desp­icable!
See Don McNay's piece on Huffpo, 11/8/08........

[kwijibo]

It's ironic, classic even, that in 2002 Chambliss beat a Democrat opponent (Max Cleland) who said at the time he "supports George Bush at every turn."

Many Liberal Democrats and Progressives want so badly for candidate Jim Martin to avenge Max Cleland's 2002 defeat by beating Saxby Chambliss this year. This is the same Max Cleland who today would be treated like Joe Lieberman by the Democrats if he (Cleland) was still in the Senate. simply because of his tight affinity for supporting the policies and initiatives of George Bush.

Only the Democrats could produce such irony and maintain a straight face.

Politically, Cleland and Chambliss share more in common than would Cleland and Martin. In political experience and life experiences, Max Cleland and John McCain are virtually identical. And Martin's the man to avenge Cleland's 2002 loss? And it's bad for McCain to come stump for Chambliss?

It's comments and stories like this one that make me smile when I come here to Huffington Post.

[mheister]

Okay, let's give Big Mac one more shot at relevance.

[Waylon Lewis - Huffpost Blogger]

Great post, David.

I used to live in Boston. One day I saw an impossibly little man walking along...still something jumped out about him...it was Dukakis. I don't think he cared about staying in the spotlight"he just wanted to serve, and when The People said they didn't want him to do so, so much, he became something of a private citizen. Same, seemingly, with Kerry"he hasn't receded into the shadows, of course"but for a man who came awfully close (read: Ohio) to the Presidency, he's a helluva lot less high-profile than Gore, Carter, the elder Bush.

I look forward to McCain becoming a real Maverick again"somehow I bet he looks forward to just being himself again.

[ChelseaC]

Yes, great post.
Let's see if McCain will step up to the plate.
I will believe it when I see it.

[richfair]

Even though what others are saying about John McCain is certainly true, we must remember one thing: He is a Senator who has a VOTE!
That one vote might also be the one that puts the Democratic Agenda over the top.
Hopefully, he will read David Weiner's article and follow its advice. Every man has an ego and,
I believe, John McCain's is big enough to want to have people love him once again. The only way that will happen is if he becomes a maverick - for real - against his own party's disasterous polices.

[dianhow]

As far as McCain working to help returning veterans.
He had better start soon, since he has voted against most bills to help veterans..­.including the last
GI bill. that Sen Webb worked on. I would love to see him really help veterans..not just talk about it .
Obama has a grade of B from veterans groups...McCain has a D ! Enough said ?

[RenoSage]

There are plenty of issues for McCain to devote his declining years to. Veteran's affairs and adoptions
come to mind.

[panderwatch]

I'm in full agreement: McCain can be a real asset in helping move complex legislation with a slim Democratic majority in the Senate. Last night's documentary on PBS re: Lee Atwater provides real insights into this current campaign. One parallel here: George H.W. Bush, an otherwise honorable man, chose to win at any cost in '88 and set the stage for McCain to do the same using Atwater's disciples. Now that he no longer needs to run for national office, he can try to redeem himself on the national stage by doing the country's work and moving away from the Atwater/Rove crowd for good.

My first bit of advice: send some really nice Christmas baskets to those in the press you "uninvited" during the campaign.

[bosse]

Mc Cain need a good rest. And dont even mention despicable character assasin like Rove/Atwater.
Dukakis is a smart honorable man and could take a cabinet job. Al Gore will be happy making a lot of money like Clinton does./ Not all old rans need to jump back. There are newer better people around

[killmenow]

I would LOVE to see Michael Dukakis appreciated and invited to advise and serve the Obama administration. There's a guy that I would like to see redeemed. Dukakis DESERVES redemption.

[slugworth]

A politician who "owes nothin' to nobody" is more commonly known as a LAME DUCK.

[ChelseaC]

LOL. Indeed!

[boredatwork]

nice bio picture

[suvbaby]

I believe that even though JM was a tad uncomfortable with it ,we saw the REAL man emerge these past 2 years and that as much as he wanted to be the 2000 honorable guy, he chose differantly and in a huge way ,abandoning even the appearance of a rational, honest, honorable man. After hundreds of hours of hrs of research I believe that the man we saw this year is the Real John McCain. He would be hard pressed to convince me otherwise.

[just4shiggles]

That's exactly how I feel about him. He is not the man that I used to think he is and this election brought him out into the light.

[bosse]

Win at any cost , say what ver it takes, listen to greedy handlers. Many have achieved their goals( Nixon, Reagan, Bush 1 & 2 by decieveing people

[killmenow]

I TOTALLY agree, and I'm so glad to see that I'm not alone in that observation. The press has it totally wrong when they claim that McCain is an honorable man who sadly changed in order to run for President. Look at his long history carefully, and you can see that he is a rash gambler who LATCHES on to shady sorts who only wish to exploit government for their personal gain. He would have been an absolute, stunning disaster as President.

[alumtrix]

name one shady person Mac has latched on to. And after you name Keaton and those in that one group, start racking your brain and dig deep for another. That's a real long history. Connect the dots!!

[kemstone]

The next few years will answer the question that has been burning in my mind since I read the "Make-Believe Maverick" article in Rolling Stone, calling into question my belief that the "old John McCain" really did care more about what was right than his political popularity: was the "maverick" thing just a tactic all along, a way to draw media attention and therefore more power to himself, or was he really the honorable public servant he portrayed himself to be, caring more about actually doing positive things than towing the party line?

My personal favorability rating of McCain dropped from the positive to the negative during the months following the convention. If he decides to do what's right for the country even if it means helping his former opponent get things done thus hurting the republicans, he has a chance to redeem himself.

[Rog49Thomas]

There is an assumption in this article that the Honest John we saw in the campaign is not the "real" Honest John.

I'm not sure I buy that.

[aliceinthewater]

I'd love to see McCain take on adoption reform. There are so many children in this country that need to be adopted, and the process that is in place right now is terrible. It's long, overly complex, and is heartbreaking for parents that go though it. Having an adopted daughter gives him some credibility with this issue.

[Researchguy66]

It's also illegal for gay couples in many states, including Florida where I live. Of course, foster care here is so good there's almost no need for adoption at all.

[killmenow]

Take a look at what's just happened in Arkansas with the last election. The laws regarding fostering and adoption are disastrous for children.

[JustMyWords]

I'm not so sure - it's an adopted daughter from overseas, and from the story that's been told by the McCains, was adopted on the spur of the moment with no real thought or consideration, and with apparently no effort. And apparently no input from him.

[peterg76]

McCain has compromised himself and his personal 'brand' in every way. Whatever he does, he should start with resigning from politics.

[bosse]

Great idea take a long vacation! Sedona is beautiful; rent the other mhones if Cindy will let you