Vice President
From Humanevents.com (Bob Novak)
Will McCain name a vice presidential candidate in mid-July to step up fund-raising before the national convention, or will he wait until Democrats make their choice in late August? A rumor running through the political community now puts former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the lead for VP. But Romney has many critics in the McCain inner circle, and we don’t think the decision has been made.
Hat/Tip Hotair.com
Hey all, last week I announced that each week I would make a new post about a potential VP candidate for McCain. Last week, I discussed Condi Rice. You can see that here:
This week, I'm going to discuss Mitt Romney.
Mitt Romney clearly has political aspirations beyond where he is now, and I think he plans on running for President again. It was clear throughout the primary cycle there was some animosity between McCain and Romney, but Mitt ended up taking the high road by getting out before he had to, endorsing McCain in the process.
Was this a calculated move to try to get on the ticket, thus making Mitt the likely successor? After all, the GOP has a history of choosing the "next in line" -- and since McCain has a possibility of only being a one termer, due to age, perhaps Mitt thinks that this would be a good way on the ticket.
The question is -- what does Mitt bring? One might say he brings conservatives, but I'm not so sure. Mitt ran as a conservative, but do conservatives really trust him? Would conservatives really rally around McCain? Aside from that, what state does he bring? McCain is not going to win Massachusetts and would already win Utah, so what else?
The one benefit Romney would bring is executive experience -- along with some knowledge on the economy, which is sure to be an issue this fall.
I don't think Mitt would be a bad choice at all, but I am not sure of the benefit it brings McCain - and Romney would be constantly angling for time, given his own ambition.
Thoughts?
Next Week: Sarah Palin
Since the major discussion of this summer regarding McCain will be who he picks as Vice President, I thought I'd make a series of threads (one every few days) about particular possible VP choices, and allow people to comment/discuss.
It would be my preference that these discussions involve a tone which is productive and positive, and not negative. Examples:
Productive: I don't think Fred Thompson would be a good choice because McCain may want someone younger due to his age.
Not productive: Fred Thompson is old and grumpy and didn't even want to be President.
I know this might be difficult as we all have our favorites -- I'm not big fan of Huck, for example -- but I just wanted to offer that.
Anyway, with that minor ground rule out of the way, I thought I would start the discussion with Condi Rice.
POSITIVES:
- Experience is unquestionable.
- Ready to step in at any time.
- Continuity between former administration and current administration.
- Female and a minority; possible benefit vs. Hillary or Obama.
- Leader
- Inspirational
- Doesn't seem political, due to not being in elected office.
NEGATIVES:
- More of a moderate, may not sit well with conservatives
- Too tied to Bush -- McCain may not want the tie that strong.
- Doesn't have a "governing" record in any elected office, kind of the negative side of the last positive point.
I bring this up because two days ago, a poll showed that in NEW YORK, of all places, a McCain-Rice ticket would beat an Obama-Hillary ticket.
Thoughts, everyone?
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- FredFan4McCain's blog
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Hi all, sorry I have not yet posted. Actually tried the other day but had some kind of issue with the site so I couldn't. I am trying again!
First of all, want to say I am honored to be an Editor here. I have not yet had time to devote to posting, but look to spend more time over the course of the fall. For those who dont know my background, I am extensively involved in Kansas politics and have even been a candidate myself. Am still a Fred Thompson supporter but am following Fred in supporting our nominee, John McCain.
Second of all, as I see it, I think McCain's choice for Vice President is extremely important, and would love to see some focus on this site towards that end. I think McCain should focus on a small list of potential running mates. Here are my suggestions: read more »
From the NYT
April 2, 2008, 8:35 am
McCain Considering Vice President Picks
By Michael CooperANNAPOLIS, Md. – Senator John McCain said Wednesday that he had begun the process of weighing the names of possible running mates, and that he hoped to be able to make a selection before the Republican convention in early September.
“We just started this process of getting together a list of names and having them looked at, and I don’t know how long it takes,’’ Mr. McCain said in a radio interview Wednesday morning with Don Imus. “But if I had a personal preference, I’d like to do it before the convention to avoid some of the mistakes that I’ve seen made in the past, as you get into a time crunch and maybe sometimes don’t make the announcement right.’’ read more »
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- Nelsa's blog
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She was reported to be at a semi-secret meeting with Grover Norquist this morning... read more »
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- Lane's blog
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Over at the USA Today blog, DeWayne Wickham speculates on the possibility of Senator McCain choosing Condoleezza Rice as his running mate.
For months now there has been a grassroots effort, called "Think Condi 08," to build a groundswell of support for making Rice the Republican vice presidential candidate. But so far it hasn't taken hold — and there's no evidence that Rice even wants the nomination.
McCain should try mightily to change this. The excitement Democrats have shown for Obama and Clinton has produced record turnouts in many of the party's primaries and caucuses. Republicans have generated no similar level of enthusiasm.
By picking Rice for the second slot, McCain would make this a historic election for Republicans, too. He'd also link the GOP to a surprisingly long line of blacks who have been a political party's choice to be president or vice president.
Condi Rice does have an impressive resume. Though, from all reports I've heard she has shown no interest in holding a higher office. Naturally the speculation on who Senator McCain chooses will continue...
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- Lane's blog
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