Sometimes you wake up and wish things were different. Today, I did that. What I wished was that the Candidates in this election were different. At best we have two flawed candidates from an electability point of view. I'm not arguing policy here; just electability. Listening to Donald Trump claim “her weight was a serious problem" or Hillary Clinton avoid why she was once a free trader and now won’t support TPP or NAFTA, illuminates the intellectual frustration with these candidates that those of us who aspire to be well read and interested in serious issues have with Hillary and the Donald. I could care less about Trump’s tiny fingers or Clinton's daily medical updates (“well Mrs. Clinton woke up at 4:36 AM today. At 4:39 she had a bowel movement. Here is video and a sample for the Press Pool”)
We are a serious electorate and don’t deserve to be treated like this is an election for Junior High School Homecoming Queen. YES, I want a mulligan. I’m a dreamer and here is my dream: Somehow we can go back in time and elect new candidates for the Patriotic thinkers out there. After careful thought, I’ve come up with a dream matchup: Democrats — Bernie Sanders for President/Susan Collins for Vice President, Republicans - John Kasich for President/Nikki Haley for Vice President. Crazy isn’t it, but this is the election I wish would happen. Both Parties would have issues but it's a “change” election. These two tickets are a change. “Bigly!”
Let me say upfront, I know of no relationship between either of the pairings on the two tickets. They might love each other or hate each other. In any event, this is an exercise as to what would stimulate the intellectual curiosity of what appears to be a dying breed: The thinking woman and man! These four individuals would be perfect for those of us who enjoy RESPECTFUL political discourse?
Bernie Sanders is a socialist (actually he isn’t a pure socialist; google it if you must) Senator from Vermont who has had a groundbreaking run for the democratic nomination both in fundraising from small donors and,in exciting young people to be involved in politics. He is 74 years old, Jewish, A University of Chicago graduate and has held local, Congressional or Senatorial office for 30 years. In an effort to unify the Congress and the Country he picks a Republican as his Running mate.
Why would Susan Collins be interested. She is from Maine. She is moderate to liberal in her political views. There used to be a significant number of those in the Republican Party. No more. She is one of the last. In Maine, her home state the governor is more racist, intolerant and fascist than the Governor of my state, Alabama. Trump lead in the last poll I saw in Maine as well. Is there a better time for Susan Collins to become the running mate of an Independant running as a democrat for president? I think not AND, it's my dream.
Collins is a two term Senator from Maine. She comes from a political family with both parents serving as Republican legislators in Maine. She held a variety of Government positions, state and federal, and made an unsuccessful run for Governor of Maine prior to being elected to the Senate. Collins is a Catholic and a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of St. Lawrence College in New York. One thing which would be debated is whether Collins and Sanders are ideologically compatible to make this ticket work.
ON THE ISSUES is an Independant rating service for politicians rating them as liberal or conservative on economic and social issues based on nothing but their votes in government. Sanders is rated 100 percent as a social liberal and a 10 percent economic conservative. Sanders is also the most popular Senator in the United States with an 87 percent approval rating by his home state voters. Hillary Clinton, for comparison, is rated an 80 percent social liberal and a 10 percent economic conservative. Not a lot of difference when you boil it down to actual votes. Now consider the Vice Presidential candidates of each.
Tim Kaine, Clinton’s veep is rated a 60 percent social liberal and a 20 percent economic conservative. Susan Collins is also rated a 60 percent social liberal but a 50 percent economic conservative. Collins is the second most popular Senator in the United States to Sanders per her Maine constituents. With the exception of her signiicantly more pronounced economic conservatism she is similar to Tim Kaine. Also consider for debate, that while Clinton/Kaine is geographically diverse with New York/Virginia being the candidates home states, Sanders/Collins would be next door to each other with their home states being Vermont/Maine. Would this be a detriment to a ticket with a more geographically balanced ticket such as Kasich/Haley?
John Kasich is Governor of Ohio, one of the most diverse states in the Nation. Some argue that it's electorate is a microcosm of the United States in general. He formerly served in the U.S. House of Representatives and rose to prominence as the Chair of the House Budget Committee. His resume as a candidate would be just as impressive as Hillary Clinton’s. He submitted and passed the last balanced budget in Congress. He has overwhelming popularity in Ohio with approval ratings upward of 60 percent. Kasich is a Methodist and a graduate of Ohio State University. Whereas, The Collins pick for Sanders would be for ideological and gender diversity, the Haley pick would be for gender AND geographical diversity.
Nikki Haley is the Governor of South Carolina. She formerly served in the State Legislature. She is the daughter of immigrants from India and is a graduate of Clemson University and is a Methodist. She has been considered a rising star among Republicans and has represented the party with speeches and responses at conventions and meetings. After a mass murder at a black church in South Carolina, Haley led a move to remove the Confederate battle flag from public buildings in South Carolina. The legislature approved the measure and the flags were removed.
On the Issues rates Kasich as 40 percent social liberal and 80 percent economically conservative. Haley also rates as a 40 percent social liberal with an economic conservative score of 90 percent. They mirror each other ideologically. That is distinct from Sanders/Collins.
Think about the issues which would be debated if these four candidates were the tickets we intelligent voters could chose from! Sanders is the child of Jewish immigrants from Poland. Collins mother was born in Columbia to American parents. Would their multinational heritage sway more voters than Haley’s Indian heritage? Could the Sanders/Collins ticket appeal to a wider range of voters than merely the Northeast or would the much more geographically diverse ticket of Kasich/Haley have an advantage. Would a Jewish/Catholic ticket be more appealing than a ticket of two Methodists? The possibilities for consideration are numerous and would lead to wonderful debates.
Alas, it's not to be. But we can dream! In the meantime, let me get back to my Twitter feed. I need to find out who Trump’s insulted today and, how many Clinton Blackberries the family dog ate. It’s tough being smart these days.