Hagel Says He Would Consider Presidential Run as an Independent

However, if he ran on a ticket with Bloomberg, they would actually be viable. I could easily see Lieberman being his campaign chair.

took over.

MKJ

The party(or rather the Bush dynasty) has effectively frozen him out of even playing a small role as an alternative voice to let out the steam of Iraq. IF the GOP main nominees disintegrate he can run outside as a savior- but not as a spoiler like Buchanan or Perot. That would give him an in, by losing, into reforming the ruins of the party. This reaffirms that he might truly be an outsider, at least in the personal power sense.

He cannot reprise even the failed rifest run of Reagan who got shellacked by the establishment but won things that enabled him gain from within once Ford got trounced, as MCGovern lost the first time and gained things to enable him to get the nomination the next time after Humphrey lost. Not a brave position and not a selfless one either, but perhaps he had no option. Cuomo could possibly have said the same although he had a better shot with less pressure and never imagined a third party run.

So to work unlike all the other third party runs, Hagel cannot be a spoiler, the GOP must be a sure no-win and he must a hope of reaping gain after the debacle. All very, very difficult and unprecedented considerations. Or it must be part of a third party strategy by the Bushes themselves.

they are trying to unseat him here in NE with someone who runs to the right of him--that tells you what kind of lunatic we have to contend with here, 'cause it's pretty hard to run to the right of Hagel without being a total neocon psycho. Hagel is getting out of the GOP, I'm pretty sure. He called out the neocons BY NAME last week in a Novak article, including Cheney, and dissed them--there is no going back (and he actually used the word "neocon", which I wish the Dems would start doing as well--very important to tie that movement to the GOP). I almost believe he wouldn't mind being a spoiler to keep the neocons from retaining power.

I think Theodore Roosevelt and Ross Perot had a positive effect on both parties. but I believe George Wallace and Strom Thurmond had an equally negative effect when they ran.

When Perot ran, he made it harder for Republicans to turn the possibility of tax increases into political weapon, while giving Clinton the political momentum needed to pass his five year budget in 1993. TR helped to make Taft beatable in 1912, while giving Wilson the political momentum to push through 16th and 17th amendments in 1913.

Something's up.

CEO class a backup plan to capture the middle and the WH. Hagel, IMO is not the brightest bulb in the crate. He is anti Iraq but very conservative and now will be used to get rid of the fundies the(CEO class) no longer need.

Anti-science is bad for business. Anti-education is bad for business. Anti-energy is bad for business and pretending to be morally pure is getting to grate on to many nerves. ego. Fundies are a drag on the economy and becoming a bore.

Back to Hagle, he is not smart enough to pull it off and take all heat and will be back in Neb. looking for bees in Jan 09.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg

serve two purposes. Oversee the transfer of wealth and it just good politics to have woman on the ticket to cancel out Hillary.

Only Bloomberg could spend whatever he wanted.

Setting up 50 state organizations to form a new party and get on the fifty state ballots have no limits. The Supremes will rule on limits before Oct and you know what they will probably throw out all limits.

Hagel's political career is a little shaky here in NE, but that's mostly because of Eye-Rack.

This is a take them all down and start over movement. A "wise elder" type of thing. A sort of reform of the nerds thing is the best way I can explain it.

maybe he and bloomberg can create a third party and take more votes away from the repub nominee....
BD

Not that I'm worried that Hagel will keep us from effectively winning, what I'm worried about is this unfortunately gives the GOP an out. When they lose, they will still keep trying the same thing and keep hurting the country. We not only have to beat them, we have to make damn sure THEY know THEY lost on their merits or lack thereof and take the pound of flesh as a reminder.

He strikes me as a pretty strong candidate in this climate.

:thumbsup: