There's a lot of talk about the recent endorsement of John McCain by Joe Lieberman, leading some to wonder what significance the cross-party endorsement will carry. I would agree with Paul Mirengoff over at Powerline, who says that the biggest advantage for McCain will be attracting independent voters in New Hampshire (in New Hampshire, independent voters can participate in either party's primary). The endorsement might remind voters that McCain is a "unity" candidate. Yet, even the idea of Lieberman-McCain unity might be untenable. Independent voters sympathetic to Barack Obama's unity campaign might throw their weight behind him, especially after the Iowa primaries. I would disagree with Mirengoff that the Lieberman endorsement is truly meaningful for a successful McCain campaign outside of New Hampshire. I don't see how Lieberman's endorsement appeals to any significant voting group at this point.
Even worse than being insignificant, the endorsement might even cause a backlash against McCain. The anti-McCain conservatives deeply distrust him on issues of gun control, stem cell research, tax cuts, and global warming. Working with Ted Kennedy on immigration angered several conservatives concerned about the border. Not to mention the BCRA with Russ Feingold that has free speech advocates still fuming. Lieberman himself might be the problem. While Republicans respect Lieberman's stance on the war and national security, he's devoted little time to conservative policies, especially on domestic issues. He votes solidly with the Democratic caucus on everything except the war. Rather than invoke the image of unity, Lieberman's endorsement might remind Republican primary voters (who will matter much more in the long run than the independents in New Hampshire) of the trust issues over the years with McCain.
UPDATE: Professor Bainbridge has been assessing Republican candidates that you might find worthwhile reading. He takes on McCain, Romney, Huckabee, and Tancredo in this post. He returned to Huckabee in a recent post and, after Andrew Sullivan's endorsement of Ron Paul, now sets his sights on the latter.
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