WP's King: McCain as VP would have alienated grass-roots Democrats

The above is my "headline" because I didn't think King's was very descriptive of his opinion piece.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53683-2004Jun18.html

(snip)
"Apart from campaign finance reform, on which McCain is a standout, his record on a number of critical social and civil rights issues, including judicial nominations, places him firmly in the Republican Party's right-wing camp. It was McCain, for example, who lined up with fellow Republicans in supporting President Bush's ideologically far-out nominees to the federal appeals courts. Moreover, McCain has:"

(he then gives specific examples of RW votes)
(snip)

"...what if grass-roots Democrats are disenchanted with Kerry? Where do they turn? To the party of Bush, Dick Cheney, John Ashcroft and Donald Rumsfeld?


That, by the way, was the thinking of Maryland lieutenant governor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Kathleen Kennedy Townsend two years ago when she tapped a former Republican, Adm. Charles Larson, to be her running mate. She, too, thought a prominent ex-military officer and longtime Republican on her ticket would appeal to conservative voters who weren't likely to look her way. It turned out, however, that Larson, a former Naval Academy classmate of McCain and a supporter of McCain's GOP presidential bid in 2000, was of little help to Townsend at the polls.

Her party's most loyal constituency, African Americans, hurt by her snub of better Democratic candidates and angered by her taking them for granted, failed to turn out on Election Day as she needed."

(snip)

...for stating the obvious. Although the move would have pleased the DLC to no end I'm sure. Some would like nothing more than having us all have a choice between two faces of one corporate party.

She really pissed off blacks and other liberals.