What if McCain's health fails and he withdraws from the race?

[yellowcanine]

I can see this happening for a couple of reasons - he finds himself way behind after Labor Day and is pressured by the Republican establishment when the Republican base fails to rally to his cause. Or his health really does go south. He doesn't look all that healthy and he is getting up there. What happens in this event?

[saltpoint]

1. Then the GOP would likely have to BEG Mitt Romney to stand in.

[mucifer]

3. Mittens!

[yellowcanine]

6. I have a Morman friend who says he won't vote for Mitt under any circumstances.

He is probably voting for McCain but he has soured on Mitt because of his changing positions on abortion, etc.

[hlthe2b]

8. or Jeb....

God forbid...:eyes:

Like having Jethro in the WH.

[yellowcanine]

16. No way. Brother George has fouled the nest too much for that. "Bush" on the ticket is a sure

400 plus EV win for Obama.

[hlthe2b]

21. You know that... I Know that.... But we aren't RWers praying for

a savior from ole McCain's inevitable humiliation.... Head over to Freeperland and see if they would not jump on Jeb as an alternative. I'm betting they would--wildly.

[yellowcanine]

26. No thanks. I try to stay away from Freakville.

[hlthe2b]

29. "Get Mike-y to do it" "Yeah, Mike-y will do it!"

(Reference may be earlier than your age cohort--Life Cereal ads from the 70s...)

[democrattotheend]

35. I wish Jeb had run

He would be the easiest to beat. I was surprised at how effective the dynasty argument was against Hillary Clinton in the primaries...it would be that much worse against Jeb Bush.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. That is a very good question,

And one that concerns me as well...

Time will tell...

[YDogg]

4. there's always lieberman

[truedelphi]

5. If McCain didn't have that chumpy weird jaw and face alignment, they could

Bring in a double.

[1Hippiechick]

46. You are so bad.....

:rofl:

[Amerigo Vespucci]

7. President Huckabee

[havocmom]

He's SOOO dreamy...

as is my worst nightmare.

[1Hippiechick]

47. Glad you clarified that.....

[yellowcanine]

13. The Republican establishment would make this decision and they hate Huckleberry.

I don't think they would go for him.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

17. In that case, all they have left is Romney

Giuliani isn't even worth mentioning. So if Huckabee's out, it would have to be Romney. Who else is left?

[yellowcanine]

24. They could always tap the reject list: Trent Lott, George Allen, NEWT! etc.

Heh.

[Fovea]

32. That delamination is toxic

Huckleberry Hound loses the paleo and neo cons- Mittens jettisons a lot of the snake handlers- Paul seems to polarize widestancers in ways that make little sense to me.

Let me go out on a limb and say they would draft Cheney.

[anonymous171]

28. YAY! Biblical law!

:rofl:

[Stephanie]

9. Bring back Old Man Thompson!

He was terrific on ABC today, complaining that Obama would "soak the rich."

[yellowcanine]

20. Fred! As delicious as it sounds, not bloody likely. He looks even older than McCain.

[Faygo Kid]

10. Dick Cheney: Tanned, rested and ready. And he don't need no stinkin' election.

We'll see about this whole "election" thing.

Long way to go before we get there.

[grantcart]

11. The problem is they have no one to really step in and take over that doesn't have big

problems - I still think that there is a 50/50 chance that they will do that.

[yellowcanine]

18. My guess is they would appeal to Colin Powell and he would turn them down.

[grantcart]

33. no chance for Powell - I think he is hoping Obama gets in and cleans things up

and restores the State Department

[JoFerret]

43. I would put money on Powell being an Obama fan

He sold his integrity decades ago. (That has nothing to do with supporting Obama - that may be his redemptive gesture.)

[1Hippiechick]

48. Yepper, based on this YouTube video.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn0GaZ80tC0&feature=related

[JoFerret]

50. And personally...I don't care a dead ant

who he endorses.

[kevinmc]

12. I have had that thought in the back of my mind .....

that something might happen to him before the election. He doesn't look so good IMO.

[butterfly77]

37. I have been thinking this also we shall begin ..

hearing this in the fall as they see he is losing and their tactics are not working...

[gregolson]

14. What happens if Obama's health fails, and he withdraws? Nomination goes to the runner-up? ;)

[saltpoint]

15. It's done by whichever candidate is affiliated with the northern-most

state, which would put Mike Gravel in line to head the ticket.

(Yes, Im joking. Welcome to DU.)

[Tuesday Afternoon]

19. Bloomberg/Powell

:D

[yellowcanine]

22. Nope. The wingnuts would bolt for sure. And Powell would turn them down.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

25. alrighty then

you are right. Powell would turn it down.

[nsd]

23. If it happened after the convention, I would guess the RNC would pick whoever was McCain's VP.

I don't think they could just pick Romney or someone else. After all, the VP nominee is the person their convention would have already endorsed as the one who should replace McCain if the ticket won and something were to happen.

If McCain withdrew before the convention, then we'd have the first honest-to-God brokered convention in more than 50 years.

[yellowcanine]

30. Brokered convention my money would be on Newt.

[nsd]

31. You might be right. The Republicans don't have much of a bench to go to.

[kenny blankenship]

27. They could get fresh-faced 'n' healthy cancer survivor Fred Thompson to substitute, or

just plug in the totally non-deathshead looking mug of fellow cancer survivor Rudy Giuliani.

[Joe the Revelator]

34. Hillary Clinton has been saving her delegates for just this senario.....

come on....its a joke..:)

[democrat2thecore]

36. Newt Gingrich - quicker than an eyelash could be bat

He simply didn't want to endure the long campaign. He is articulate and would prove to be far more formidable that John McCain. In the end though, Obama still wins. Let's hope McSame stays healthy and is committed to the long campaign.

[BlooInBloo]

38. MITTENS!!!!

[kenny blankenship]

40. This scares EVERYBODY who sees it...

...I don't care who you are. Even latex fetishists get the willies from that guy.

[BlooInBloo]

41. Definitely a classic.

[zulchzulu]

39. I've already predicted McCain is going to faint or fall off a stage like Dole did in 1996

Running for President is absolutely brutal and it may be one hot ass August day in Indiana where he falls off the podium...jus' sayin'.

[LawyersGunsandMoney]

42. He looks like walking death now

it wouldn't shock me.

[Doug.Goodall]

44. You're not implying those honest Republicans would pull a 'bait and switch' would you?

Oh wait, I forgot that they are Republicans.

McCain has not really been doing a lot of campaigning. It almost seems like he is saving his war chest of funds for something else. That 'something else' may well prove to be 'someone else'.

I think I will pay close attention to the first part of the Republican Convention, just in case there is a surprise being sprung on the American public.

[Hippo_Tron]

52. Umm have you seen his fundraising numbers, he doesn't have much of a warchest

And last I recall he's limited by public-financing for the primaries. Obama is doing far better under McCain's campaign finance laws than McCain is.

[truthisfreedom]

45. What happens if he recovers and re-enters?

Just sayin'.

[totodeinhere]

49. If someone else gets the nomination while McCain is sick, McCain would not...

be able to reenter. Their nominee would already have been chosen.

[Hippo_Tron]

51. McCain is pretty much the best that they have

If not for Mittens' religion he might be marginally stronger.