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The Veepstakes
By Name withheld by request Posted in Archived — Comments (27) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
I’d like to offer everyone my 2 cents on whom I think would make the best running mate for John McCain in the upcoming election.
In the interest of full disclosure, I am a lifelong Democrat and have voted for every Democratic presidential nominee since and including George McGovern. In the present election cycle, I started out as a John Edwards supporter and gradually drifted to Hillary Clinton when Edwards failed to catch fire. However, as it becomes increasingly clear that my party is about to nominate Barack Obama, I’ve decided that I must vote for John McCain and do whatever else I can to stop a disaster in the making.
I oppose Obama for a variety of reasons. First, I think he’s a lightweight opportunist with no experience, attempting to win the most important job in the world when our country is facing multiple crises at home and abroad. I have no idea what he actually believes in and I don’t think anyone else does either. I honestly think he wants to be President because that’s the only job that would fulfill his ego. “Hey, I’m President, it’s cool.” Second, I think he’s achieving his probable nomination through the gaming of the grossly undemocratic caucus system widely used in my party’s nominating process. I think the huge discrepancies in result between the caucuses and primaries in the states of Washington and Texas is absolute proof of this. The caucus system unfairly favored two of Obama’s core constituencies, college kids, who don’t work, and limousine liberals, who don’t have to work. They could afford to spend all day at a caucus while Clinton’s blue collar and older voters could not. Third, I detested the despicable way he played the race card against Clinton over and over again. For me, the most egregious example was when his campaign repeatedly transformed Bill Clinton’s comment that Obama’s position on Iraq was a fairytale into something along the lines of, “Shame on you, Mr. President, Barack Obama may be an African American, but his campaign is no fairytale!” That was the last straw for me. Fourth, and I know this is petty and personal, but frankly, I can’t stand his obnoxious wife! Does she make anyone else’s skin crawl?
Anyway, back to my 2 cents. The Democratic Party is about to make a colossal blunder and enrage millions of its largest constituency, female voters. Believe me, I hear first hand from my wife and her two sisters, as well as a number of female friends, and they are livid. I absolutely cannot believe the venom I’m hearing from them. Well, they still hate child molesters more – I think. Clearly, John McCain must bring these voters over and the best way to seal the deal is to, I’m sure you’ve already guessed, give them a woman on the national ticket to vote for!
I’ve given this a lot of thought, and I’m convinced that the best person in your party to attract these voters is former New Jersey governor/EPA director, Christine Todd Whitman. She makes sense for a lot of reasons. First, she brings geographic balance (southwest/northeast) to the ticket. Second, she’s from a midsize slightly Democratic state that is already in play and she could tip the balance. Third, she has actual experience running a government, which is a weakness shared by both McCain and Obama. Fourth, because she’s not a present officeholder, your party doesn’t have to sacrifice an incumbent. Fifth, like McCain, she’s perceived as a moderate, and that’s just what you need to draw Democrats. I know most of you would rather balance McCain with a conservative, but let me give you another bit of advice; I learned from my days as a college kid working for McGovern that in a democracy, electability is just as important as ideology. I mean, which sounds better, Vice President Whitman or President Obama?
Anyway, I can just imagine the bumper stickers: the “Hillary!” styled ones with a line through Hillary followed by a handwritten “Christine!” And I can see them on the cars of millions of angry women.
All of these are good points....
by St. Louis Conservative
...and you certainly lay out a compelling argument for Whitman.
However, I do not think CTW is even in consideration. First and foremost because she is pro-choice. The pro-life conservative base of the GOP simply wouldn't tolerate that. I do understand that she could bring in a lot of independents, and perhaps some disaffected Democrats, but the loss among the GOP base for McCain would be far greater. McCain has already publicly stated that his VP will be pro-life (in so many words).
“.....women and minorities hardest hit”
Let me repeat it: Alaska
by operationchaos
Let me repeat it: Alaska governor Palvin!!
If McCain picks Sarah Palin, BHO will drop a brick.
Sarah Palin locks up white women and pretty much all pro-life red states like West Virginia, Ohio, Colorado, Missouri, and Florida.
She would also help McCain win pivotal states like Wisconsin (where McC is now leading BHO by 5 points) and Michigan (where McC has shown a consistent lead). She will also move Pennsylvania from "leans BHO" to "toss-up".
Tim Pawlenty and Mark Sanford are good. But Sarah P. is super-uber-awesome!
Proudly supporting John S. McCain for President (McCain/Romney?)
Palin won't be a candidate.
by St. Louis Conservative
She just got elected in 2006 and she just had another baby.
“.....women and minorities hardest hit”
Never gonna happen
by Darin H
Whitman will not be the VP nominee. As said above, McCain will not choose someone who is pro-choice.
Sen Hutchison of TX would be a much better choice, Gov Palin would be ok as would Rep Marsh Blackburn. Sec of State Rice is a maybe (she said she was "mildly pro-choice" who knows what that means). Gov Jodi Rell would be a better version of Whitman, but she's pro-choice too. It's a pretty thin bench...
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The only pro-choice possibility is Rudy and only
by red oakster
if he switched his position to match the pro-life top of the ticket.
But the first and most important factor is an ability of the Veep to become a wartime leader on a moment's notice. That really narrows the field and makes quick work of gimmicky choices like Whitman.
"Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty"
Kyle
Thank you for the compliment
by Name withheld by request
I know most of you probably hate him, but I love James Carville. On another note, I see most of the objections so far have been to Whitman's abortion position. Remember, McCain's picking the judge nominees, not Whitman. I realize McCain is old and succession is a consideration, but longevity appears to be in his genes.
Whitman is just not that smart or competent
by Michael Corleone
Whitman is responsible for the complete destruction of the Republican Party in NJ. Our party needs leadersip right now. And McCain is hardly a party leader. I am hoping the VP picks up the slack.
I do agree, however, that putting a woman on the ticket would be an absolute trump card for McCain.
But it has to be someone more like Lady Thatcher -- they have to be strong and believable on national security. Whitman is not.
And I just don't think we have a female LEADER ready to by President. We have some good recruits - Palin being one, but she needs more time to develop.
And by the way, in re Whitman, you already have your moderate in McCain. I only think it is fair that we get a conservative to balance the ticket.
Palin!! There's absolutely
by operationchaos
Palin!! There's absolutely no need to a V.P. candidate to be perceived as 'ready' as president candidate. Voters do not care much about V.P candidate's 'experience'.
Whitman is a non-starter. She was hardly competent served under George W. Bush. She has no appealing story/image to 'sell' to the mass, which is critically important to the general electorate. She hardly represent the future of GOP. She doesn't bring much to the ticket.
When your nominee is 72,
by Michael Corleone
When your nominee is 72, your VP has to be Presidential material.
I'm actually starting to
by Michael Corleone
I'm actually starting to think Mitt Romney may be the best choice. Why?
Three reasons:
1. Michigan. He will be an asset in this state, and if we win Michigan, the election is over.
2. Massachusetts. Deval Patrick, a black governor, is extremely unpopular. Obama - with his similarities to Patrick -is already having trouble in the Bay State. Romney was a successful governor. Making MA competitive makes Obama spend money in a blue state he must win.
3. Nevada. If we win OH (and hold the other red states), but lose IA, NM, CO, and NV - Obama becomes President. There is a large Mormon population in NV. We need to hold NV for the GOP.
It's crazy to pick Romney.
by operationchaos
It's crazy to pick Romney. Romney's biggest problem is his 'phoniess' perceived by the mass. Deval Patrick is very unpopular, Romney is hardly popular in MA either. He wouldn't even have won a reelection should he choose to do so. I'm absolutely positive Romney does not have the ability to bring MI into GOP's corner.
Romney will be a disaster.
MI and NV I agree with
by JakePrime
But there's nothing Romney can do for MA. People here really don't like him, even more so after his failed run. Even the conservatives here tend to feel that he threw them under a bus.
Thanks for a thoughtful diary
by Adam C
I disagree with the recommendation, not least of all because Whitman has been a big part of the problem of in-fighting in the Party. Instead of working to elect other moderate Rs, she wrote a book ("It's My Party, Too") that is a screed against conservatives rather than an effort to work together. It would be a bad choice.
However, several of the points you make about a VP are interesting. A female could be GOV Palin or SEN Hutchinson. I think most of the shortlist are executives: GOV Sanford, GOV Pawlenty, GOV Crist, GOV Carcieri, GOV Romney.
I expect McCain to pick a conservative Governor. If moderates and Dems are going to vote for the ticket, it will have to be for McCain himself.
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Hutchison is out
by SIConservative
Although she has a generally pro-life voting record, Sen. Hutchison is pro-choice. Not only is she pro-choice, but in 2003, she voted in favor of the Harkin Amendment, which endorsed Roe, the worst abuse of judicial power in history. Her selection would knock McCain right off of the tightrope he is already walking.
I agree. If you are going
by RandomGuy
I agree. If you are going to pick a pro-choicer, pick Rudy.
"I will look for people in the cast of John Roberts, Samuel Alito, and my friend the late William Rehnquist – jurists of the highest caliber who know their own minds, and know the law, and know the difference." - John McCain
Picking a Woman isn't a bad
by RandomGuy
Picking a Woman isn't a bad idea, just not Whitman!
Rice, Huchison, Blackburn, Miller, Palin, ANYBODY would be better then Whitman.
"I will look for people in the cast of John Roberts, Samuel Alito, and my friend the late William Rehnquist – jurists of the highest caliber who know their own minds, and know the law, and know the difference." - John McCain
Gov. Palin of AK would seal
by SanDiego92108
Gov. Palin of AK would seal the election for McCain. Former athlete and beauty queen (Miss Alaska), just gave birth at age 44. We could be looking at a landslide.
there won't be a landslide
by operationchaos
there won't be a landslide no matter what. It's going to be a squeaker for either D or R in the end.
I agree Palin should be a top choice. She has the story/image to sell, which is frankly what's desperately needed for a dull McCain candidacy.
Pretty sure she doesn't want
by RandomGuy
Pretty sure she doesn't want to leave Alaska, where she's lived her whole life, especially when she just had a new kid who's disabled.
"I will look for people in the cast of John Roberts, Samuel Alito, and my friend the late William Rehnquist – jurists of the highest caliber who know their own minds, and know the law, and know the difference." - John McCain
I'm a fan of Sarah Palin. If I had to choose, I'd probably pick her as McCain's VP.
Unfortunately, most of the talk surrounding her has been about the fact that she's a woman. I'm not a female and I'm not going go into some sort of feminism argument... but the focus should be on the issues. The same goes with any of the women or african-americans that are being talked about as a potential pick. I'm not acussing anybody of anything... I'm pretty sure that many probably know where they stand on the issues and are just referring to their gender or race because of their potential appeal but there have been a few that have argued picking one of them primarily because of that. Which really shouldn't be the case.
We should be arguing for equality and looking past their gender or race. We're not the Democratic party, we don't throw a candidate out there because of the color of the skin or because they're a woman. Furthermore if we were to choose an african-american or a female, I'm 100% certain the Democratic party will play dirty and suggest that the only reason they were chosen is because McCain's looking to pander to one of the two in order to win votes. Obama himself might not suggest it but he will have somebody else doing the dirty work for him. At the moment, there is sort of a perception around the Republican party as the old white man party.
The focus regarding any of those candidates should be where they stand on the issues and that in it self should be the only reason a candidate is chosen. Let the Democrats play that game.
Christine Todd Whitman would not be picked.
by Section9
Immediately the news media, which will basically serve as a megaphone for your nominee, Barack, would highlight the differences between her and McCain, zeroing in on the pro-choice vs. pro-life issue. This would be done in hopes of keeping the Republican pro-life Base voters home in November.
If you're going to pick a woman, McCain has only one choice-Condi. Palin is an unknown who has just had a kid. Marsha Blackburn is unknown outside of Movement circles. Kay Bailey is much more pro-choice than Rice ever was; at least Rice supported the main tenets of the President's position on abortion.
The point is, given McCain's age, you need someone who could be President and have crossover appeal. Despite her statements, I don't think you've seen the last of Condi this year. I do believe that we've seen the last of Christine Todd Whitman, given the state of the New Jersey Republican Party.
"History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it"-Winston Churchill
I've heard
by Bob Frazier
I've heard that Condi Rice describes herself as "Mildly pro choice". I guess similar to Clintons "Safe, legal and rare". I think Condi would be a problem.
Run a strong conservative (fiscal and social) who would stand a good chance of running and winning in 2012. Realistically, even if mccain wins, he will likely serve just the one term due to age. It might also bring some of the more hesitant conservatives to support the ticket.
I don't think he has the gumption, or the vision. There's a reason all that Pioneer money isn't cascading into his campaign. They see what I see: a guy running a defensive campaign. The McCain people are spooked on the war and spooked on economy. This guy should double down but instead, he's trying to run away from that which he can't run away from. The war will be the Central Issue. Our Iranian friends will make sure of that. People like Richelieu think that McCain can separate himself from the war by staying as far away from someone like Rice as possible. As the Cubans said of the Granadian junta: Infantilismo! The Democrats are going to hang the war around McCain's neck any way you look at it. McCain needs to make this issue a simple one: Victory vs. Defeat-then double down and go on the attack. But they are spooked at "Team Maverick" and they don't yet quite understand that in this very hostile political environment, they have nothing to lose.
You're going to see a plodding, underfunded McCain campaign outwitted at every turn by a very quick, nimble, and extremely well-funded Obama organization. It won't be fun to watch. JMC will pick some unknown like Pawlenty and spend all of September trying to roll him out while Obama's underlings go through Tim's record as Governor. Tim was a good Governor, but everyone makes mistakes-and the news media is going to do what they can to turn him into Dan Quayle. McCain doesn't have time to pump up Pawlenty as a possible Prez.
But the people around him haven't figured that out yet. It won't dawn on JMC until he's ten points behind on October 1st that he'd made a mistake-that he had to do more than just satisfy the unsatisfiable Movement Conservatives with his VP pick.
As to Condi; any candidate who supports the Hyde Amendment, supports a ban on partial birth, and doesn't support Roe as written can't be all that bad. As far as I know, she supported sending it back to the states. Where, like, it was before Harry Blackmun got his hands on it (iirc-someone correct me if I'm wrong here).
The problem with a lot of pro-lifers was that they wanted a Federal Constitutional Amendment banning abortion in the U.S., and that was the litmus test. That was always going to be a non-starter in the real world. One size fits all abortion law just is not politically practical in this country. California is not Alabama.
"History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it"-Winston Churchill
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