Oct 17th, 2008 at 11:12 am
A Question
Someone Twittered just now:
Just asking: why isn’t Dick Lugar campaigning for John McCain in Indiana?
He’s too busy? Doesn’t sound right. He’s not popular in Indiana? Doesn’t sound right.
30 Responses to “A Question”
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October 17th, 2008 at 11:14 am
I believe Lugar, while very conservative, is very much in the realist foreign policy camp. His ideas have a much better chance of coming to fruition under Obama.
October 17th, 2008 at 11:19 am
My question is more why doesn’t he have the guts to campaign for Obama? The guy’s in a total safe seat, and only a third party candidate ran against him last time.
October 17th, 2008 at 11:24 am
Like most Republican senators, Lugar doesn’t much like the grandstanding McCain. And having worked closely with Obama on the Lugar/Obama anti-proliferation legislation (which extends the Nunn/Lugar legislation to contain loose nuclear materials in the ex-USSR), he knows Obama well, shares his point of view on some very important issues, and respects him.
Of course if McCain got elected and carried out his policy of throwing Russia out of the G8, that would greatly screw up any attempts at cooperation on other security issues, with consequences that Lugar (and anyone else sane) would consider very dangerous.
I saw it rumored that Lugar might even endorse Obama, but while I strongly suspect that he would prefer an Obama win, I doubt that he’ll risk his Republican bona fides by going public (especially when it looks as though Obama can get it done without any more help).
October 17th, 2008 at 11:24 am
Lugar recently endorsed Obama’s approach to foreign policy:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/cq/20081015/pl_cq_politics/politics2975236
October 17th, 2008 at 11:28 am
didnt obama namecheck lugar in the second debate as someone he like to have in his administration?
October 17th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Former Senator Birch Bayh and former Rep. Lee Hamilton have been all over Indiana stumping for Obama. Haven’t heard a peep from Lugar for the GOP.
October 17th, 2008 at 11:31 am
It’s the same reason Governor Daniels is skipping the big Palin rally in Noblesville with all the country musicians. They want to help, they really do, but there’s this thing they have to go to. It just can’t be rescheduled. Damn shame.
October 17th, 2008 at 11:33 am
ill answer my own question. maybe it was the most recent debate.
“If I’m interested in figuring out my foreign policy, I associate myself with my running mate, Joe Biden, or with Dick Lugar, the Republican ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee or General Jim Jones, the former supreme allied commander of NATO,” Obama, the U.S. senator from Illinois, said Wednesday in his final debate with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). “Those are the people, Democrats and Republicans, who have shaped my ideas and who will be surrounding me in the White House.”
October 17th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Hmmm… 5 words:
Secretary of Defense Richard Lugar?
October 17th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
I heard lugar speak a few weeks ago in Hammond, IN on energy. There was NOTHING about what he was talking about that meshes with McCain’s message. Lugar is a (literally) a prius-driving, alt.energy nut. He is very pro wind and bio-fuels. While McCain talks about “all of the above”, anyone with any simple understanding knows that the landscape remains heavily tilted towards extractive, carbon-based fuels. That ain’t where Lugar is right now.
October 17th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
I think Jerry is dead on – Lugar and Chuck Hagel will likely be part of an Obama cabinet.
October 17th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
As a public interest attorney, I worked with Lugar’s office on the driver’s-license-for-immigrants issue. This was at a time when state Republicans were really pushing their anti-immigrant agenda. Lugar’s office wasn’t fully in our camp, but they cleary were far from the extreme Republican position. And from the start they were interested in establishing common ground, doing whatever they could to help within the confines of Lugar’s position on the issue. My recollection is that, at the time, Lugar was really pushing some education reforms that would give immigrant children improved access to education, regardless of their legal status. He’s clearly right of center, but he’s just as clearly a pragmatist, and he seems to have a deeply-held aversion to the kind of moral grandstanding that people like McCain are famous for.
October 17th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
I’ve been wondering if Obama’s 30 minute commercial is gonna include a bunch of Republican’s, especially Senators, endorsing him.
October 17th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
lugar may be a foreign policy moderate, but like hagel, his approach to domestic policy is straight ‘94 revolution hatchetry. it wouldn’t make any sense for someone with that background to endorse—makes more sense for him to do what he’s doing and lend some credibility to obama’s foreign policy approach.
on the 30-minute ad, it’s amazing that they might have guaranteed massive pre-world series audiences in pennsylvania and florida (phillies/rays). if that actually went into their thinking, then these people are geniuses. (i grew up in mass. so i’m hoping the FL thing doesn’t pan out, but the high viewership for the 30 minute spot will give a little comfort).
October 17th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Does Indiana have a DisneyWorld? Maybe a Six Flags?
October 17th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Obama treated Lugar as a mentor. They went on a trip to the former USSR together to look at the destruction of old nukes. Then they sponsored a bill together.
Obama is skilled at gaining mentors. This one may help him win Indiana.
October 17th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Lugar is doing what Joe Lieberman should be doing: he doesn’t particularly care for his party’s presidential candidate, so he’s sitting this one out instead of calling attention to himself.
October 17th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Um, someone = Marc Ambinder.
October 17th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
John M. You are so right brother.
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