Republican w/ Independent VP?

[PeroW-Cheney]

I'm not convinced Cheney voted for Dole in 1996. Supposing Cheney voted for Perot in 1996, wouldn't that make Bush/Cheney a bipartisan ticket? Voting for Perot in 1996 would have made Cheney the senior and highest elected Reform Party member when he voted for himself in 2000. Perot endorsed Bush/Cheney in 2000, as well.

If you play along with me and pretend that a Republican + Independent ticket has worked 2 times in a row in the last elections, what about trying it again?

How about the Republican who wins the nomination picks Senator Lieberman to be his V.P.? In my opinion, Democrats would tremble in fear to hear this happening. I think Joe as VP would absolutely NUKE Hillary 2008, almost as sweeping as Reagan's run in 1980.

[Herb Schaffler]

PeroW, have you heard about Lou Dobb's prediction? He predicts a populist independent will win the general election.

I think Perot could have won the election in 1992 if he hadn't dropped out. He was ahead in the polls at the time he dropped out. After dropping out, he lost his credibility and was never able to regain his former strength after returning to the race.

Regarding Cheney voting for Perot, I don't know why Cheney would have voted for Perot in that Perot was opposed to Desert Storm.

[PeroW-Cheney]

Maybe an Independent will win. There is a mood in the air... Ron Paul supporters are showing up more than Obama supporters in the last couple weeks. That should tell you something.


Thank you for giving me an opening to express my crackpot conspiracy theory. I'm still looking for the press release to prove my memory right, but for now I just have to call it a theory. Here's how I connect the dots.

A>Perot and Cheney go way back. Cheney was a young guy on the board of directors for Perot's EDS.

B>1996, Cheney was the immediate front running heir apparent to be Dole's runnning mate. This can be verified at Lexis Nexis ala carte. The day after the nomination there was political analysis feature story with Lehrer, Gergen and Shields that names Cheney as the best bet for Dole.
I think Dole may have pissed off Cheney more than Perot did, and it is a sign to see that Kemp got the running mate position. "Rise of the Vulcans" is a book that may have touched on this subject, too.

C>In 1996, the Republican Party had 2 problems. First, Dole was going to lose. Everybody knew this, but put on brave faces as not to affect voter turnout. This can be verified when Fred Barnes said so immediately after the election on McLaughlin Group. The second problem was the Republican's terror at seeing the Reform Party grow into a real minor party. Being scared of the Reform Party is absurd in today's context, but back in 1996, this fear was very, very real.

D>If Cheney knew Dole was going to lose anyway...
If Cheney knew he could be VP in 2000 after Dole lost...
Then Cheney could immunize himself in future elections from a future Reform Party challenger by voting for Perot when his vote didn't count. When Cheney anticipated running for President in the future, he could claim to be Reform Party just as much as any senior Reform Party leader. Seniority counts big in parties.
A parallel situation is the Reform Party of Ohio's 1998 candidate for Governor who now collects Republican signatures and runs in the Republican Primaries. The Reform Party of Ohio can't touch him or compete against him in the general election because he has the Reform Party seniority and he has the only historical vote count needed to justify that the Reform Party even exists.

E>There were 2 Republican Dick Cheneys in this time. The other ran for Governor in New Mexico in 1998. The Almanac of American Politics says it was common to confuse the two, so research gets more complicated.

F>Finally, why else would Perot endorse voting for Bush in 2000?

I SAW CHENEY'S PRESS RELEASE AND HE SAID HE'S VOTING FOR PEROT. I have the library of congress call number but I can't get my hands on it because it is in Nexis and I've had trouble with Nexis getting a quote for it. It was the Thursday or Friday before the election. Since I don't have it in my hands right now, you have to take my claim with a grain of salt, but I know it exists and I'll find it someday! I just don't have the lawyer/journalist job skills to get my hands on what I want. It isn't easy to find.

I would normally be pissed off and outcry against the efficiency that the Republican War Room used to subvert the Reform Party. But now when I know I'm going to see Hillary on my ballot, I celebrate this sabatoge as masterful genius and a lesson for independents who want to try it again. Grasss roots will need an equally effective counter-measure in the playbook next time. Until then, an Independent VP in the White House isn't such a bad deal. It is better than throwing ourselves on the sword again to ultimately get no votes.