In Which We Pick McCain's Veep

[SezMe]

From now on out, the Huckster is no more than a footnote to the campaign so it's time to flesh out the Republican ticket.

I'll go first. McCain has admitted that he is weak on the economy, which is going to be a big issue in the campaign. So he needs some money chops, which leads me to predict:

Steve Forbes

[The Painter]

Dr. Condoleezza Rice

She's black and a woman and intelligent.. Trumps the Democrats on all counts.

[Darth Rotor]

From now on out, the Huckster is no more than a footnote to the campaign so it's time to flesh out the Republican ticket.

I'll go first. McCain has admitted that he is weak on the economy, which is going to be a big issue in the campaign. So he needs some money chops, which leads me to predict:

Steve Forbes
Ron Paul He's another maverick. The so called smart guys Bush has on the economy have established that a guns and butter approach can be tried, but it can't succeed. They have also established that printing more dollars makes oil cost more.

Maybe a little Paulonomics would be a refreshing change.

Ah, there goes the bell, popcorn is ready. :)
DR

[NotJesus]

Dr. Condoleezza Rice

She's black and a woman and intelligent.. Trumps the Democrats on all counts.


By all means, let McCain tie himself even more closely to W's disastrous foreign policy. That'd be a hoot.

[The Painter]

By all means, let McCain tie himself even more closely to W's disastrous foreign policy. That'd be a hoot.

I can see you don't understand my sense of humor or satire. It must be an east coast thing.

[NotJesus]

I can see you don't understand my sense of humor or satire. It must be an east coast thing.


Uh... yeah... That must be it.

[dudalb]

Too Bad Arnie is not legally able to be President.
But McCain's Veep choice might be make or break for him..much more so then most Presidential Candidates.
Let's face it, with his age there is a much greater chance he will die in office then with most Presidents. That means his Veep choice will be looked at very closely by a great many voters.
This is why picking Huckabee or any other sop to the Religious right would mean my vote would go straight to the Democrat (who likes very much like Obama at this point). If it was a more reasonable Veep choice,then I might not decide until I am in the voting booth.

[SezMe]

Ron Paul He's another maverick.
Paul doesn't add squat to the ticket. He wouldn't even be able to carry his own state - not that the Texas is going blue any time soon. Plus, it would be hard to figure out the McCain/Paul Administration's position on Iraq. 100 more years or 100 more days?

Or maybe, like with Painter, I missed your sense of humor. :)

[eromitlab]

I'd say...

Mitt Romney

A moderating influence to bring doubtful conservatives back over, a big name that can bring some big dollars and name recognition in, someone with business and economic experience, someone who's managed a state as a governor and someone conservatives would be more comfortable to have ascend to the Presidency if McCain were to depart the office early for medical reasons. I just don't think the Republicans will get too creative with veep nominees this time around... no Quayles pulled out of thin air.

[Brainster]

Senator McCain has been asked this question several times in blogger conference calls in which I have participated; the only name that he actually volunteered himself (as opposed to ones suggested by the bloggers) was Phil Gramm, although he then hastened to add that Phil might fit in better elsewhere in the administration (like at Treasury).

If (as seems very likely) Obama is the Democrats' nominee, a woman would be an excellent choice for McCain. Kay Bailey Hutchinson or Christie Todd Whitman are two possibilities that come to mind. I doubt that McCain would pick Condoleezza Rice.

[fishbob]

Dr. Condoleezza Rice

She's black and a woman and intelligent and a partisan lying weasel.. Trumps the Democrats on all counts.

Fixed.

[Puppycow]

From now on out, the Huckster is no more than a footnote to the campaign so it's time to flesh out the Republican ticket.

I'll go first. McCain has admitted that he is weak on the economy, which is going to be a big issue in the campaign. So he needs some money chops, which leads me to predict:

Steve Forbes

How about Bloomberg, then? Isn't he technically a republican?

[SezMe]

No, he dropped his Republican registration and is now an independent. Oh, you mean "technically". I don't know, you might even describe him as technically a Dem.

I didn't suggest Bloomberg because I think the VP slot would be a step down in power for him - unless he was prepared to sit in waiting for eight years. Or less, depending on McCain's health. Also, he is not all that conservative so doesn't help McCain with the red meat crowd while Forbes is a genuine conservative. And I mean that in a positive way. I think he really does hew to traditional conservative ideas.

[Kopji]

I think that a McCain-Colin Powell ticket would make democrats nervous.

[steverino]

How about the Independent senator from Connecticut. He'd get the Hebrews excited, and they have a lot of money to donate, too.

[davefoc]

I don't have any insight to who he will pick but IMHO the chance that either Rice, Paul or Huckabee would be his selection is close to zero.

Phil Gramm sounded like a pretty informed guess to me, especially since the guesser said that he heard it from McCain himself.

I wonder about Whitman. She was involved in some sort of an effort to moderate the Republican Party. This looks like an effort completely doomed to failure unless the Republican Party as it exists today suffered very heavy defeats. But would McCain even consider a Republican malcontent? Especially when the right wing pundits don't seem to be too thrilled with him and he's willing to do a certain amount of sucking up to gain their confidence.

I'd guess no way on the Colin Powell idea also. Somewhat similar problem to Whitman with the added problem that he is tainted by his association with Bushco. Besides I saw a rumor in a headline the other day that he was thinking about endorsing the Democratic candidate. That's not the strongest position to be angling for the Republican veep slot from.

McCain seems to be a true believer in a continuation of the US involvement in Iraq over the indefinite long term. Lots of Republicans give lip service to this idea, but I don't know how many true believers there are. Would McCain consider somebody that wasn't a fellow true believer?

[Kopji]

I don't follow the guy around, but at this point he is anxious to seem like a part of the mainstream party, someone not a loose canon. The party people will make a recommendation and I'd be surprised if it was anyone really controversial, they have enough of that in McCain.

He could go with Romney, they like each other, which might be important because (if local politics are an indicator) McCain can be really abrasive. Set aside all the religious debate on Mormonism, and Romney has a good business background and would certainly understand the economy. He is also sort of dull, which might make a good veep. :)

[SezMe]

How about the Independent senator from Connecticut. He'd get the Hebrews excited, and they have a lot of money to donate, too.
You're pissing upwind with that one, steverino. :) Holy Joe might have been a McCain suck-up of late, but he has a long history of supporting liberal causes. The red meat division of the Elephants would have apoplexy...which might be fun to watch.

[Donal]

I still don't get why Lieberman has this reputation as a conservative. He sides with the Republicans on one very specific issue: MidEast policy. Everything else, he tows the DNC line.

That said, I say Romney is currently the best bet. The whole religious right wing issue is being overplayed, in my opinion. They are going to do anything they can to make sure a Democrat doesn't make the White House, so they'll vote Republican if McCain takes anyone short of Fidel Castro as a running mate.

Of course, there is the chance they'll just abstain from voting, but that demographic isn't known to do that.

[Invidious]

I've heard positive rumblings about MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty. He's done a lot of cheerleading for McCain, and is one of his campaign general co-chairmen. And he's a republican governor in a state which tends to swing democratic.

[Darth Rotor]

Paul doesn't add squat to the ticket. He wouldn't even be able to carry his own state - not that the Texas is going blue any time soon. Plus, it would be hard to figure out the McCain/Paul Administration's position on Iraq. 100 more years or 100 more days?

Or maybe, like with Painter, I missed your sense of humor. :)
Yessir, I was being a touch sarcastic. :cool:

DR

[Invidious]

Yessir, I was being a touch sarcastic. :cool:

DR
Right, I put Ron Paul just behind Colbert on the list of potential VP candidates.

[steverino]

You're pissing upwind with that one, steverino. :) Holy Joe might have been a McCain suck-up of late, but he has a long history of supporting liberal causes. The red meat division of the Elephants would have apoplexy...which might be fun to watch.

:D

Then how about Fidel Castro? He's available, and to the right of Obama.

[Brainster]

He could go with Romney, they like each other, which might be important because (if local politics are an indicator) McCain can be really abrasive. Set aside all the religious debate on Mormonism, and Romney has a good business background and would certainly understand the economy. He is also sort of dull, which might make a good veep. :)

Romney and McCain do not like each other. I like Romney myself, despite my problems with his recent conversion to conservatism from the kind of liberal Republicanism that it takes to get elected in Massachusetts, but I see very little chance that he will be the Veep pick.

[NeoRicen]

:D

Then how about Fidel Castro? He's available, and to the right of Obama.

Oh come one... I know you're exaggerating but the comparison is just ridiculous.

It's as if if you think government should exist at all people yell "Socialist!".

[Donal]

Reagan and Bush despised each other, but they made it work. Remember, it was Bush that coined the term "voodoo economics" during the primaries to describe Reagan's ideas.

They don't have to like each other, just work together.

[hgc]

I think that a McCain-Colin Powell ticket would make democrats nervous.

I don't know. He could be asked every day what he thought he was peddling in that totally awesome Iraq WMD presentation in front of the UN.

No, I think that Colin Powell would just prefer that history not remember him for anything after Jan 20, 2001. He won't be seeking public office.

[Donal]

Powell didn't want to be there in the first place. His wife has already had one nervous breakdown. Her health is a real issue. She wouldn't be able to take a White House run.