Or has the presidential sheen of governors suddenly worn thin this week?
Let's say what we really want right now is an incredibly clean governor. Perhaps the very quality that made Mitt Romney seem oddly unhuman to people a couple months ago will seem cozily reassuring now.
IN THE COMMENTS: This isn't about Romney, but it's an important angle on the choice of governors that I think a lot of people won't understand:
John N. said...
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Young (47) effective governor of a blue state. Good campaigner, has been elected statewide twice. Can help McCain carry critical midwestern states, including Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin, and can help in states like Colorado and Ohio too.
MadisonMan said...
I don't see how a Minnesotan helps someone carry Wisconsin or Iowa.
Original Mike said...
Pawlenty ... Can help McCain carry critical midwestern states, including Wisconsin
Vote for a gopher? No way!
Posts
41 comments:
McCain has to pick a young vibrant running mate preferably a Southern Governor.
Rob Portman would make an excellent choice for either governor or vice president.
Romney would be a lousy Vice President. He'd bounce off the walls with nothing to do, like a bee in a bottle.
He would be a superb cabinet official. He'd probably want a cabinet seat, but I'd put him in the subcabinent Office of Emergency Management post.
Seems to me that there are 2 relevant issues right now: (1) National security and (2) the economy. McCain covers (1) himself. He needs someone for (2), not necessariliy as VP, though. Bringing in Bloomberg as a cabinet member (commerce/treasury?) would help a lot [possible? who knows] - avoids the "only senators" touch, too. Add a Latino/a for VP, keep Condoleza Rice in the foreign office and you will have a team that should appeal to a lot of voters ...
Charlie Crist.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Young (47) effective governor of a blue state. Good campaigner, has been elected statewide twice. Can help McCain carry critical midwestern states, including Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin, and can help in states like Colorado and Ohio too.
I don't see how a Minnesotan helps someone carry Wisconsin or Iowa.
I think he should choose Mark Sanford.
Pawlenty comes off as a nice guy, but he doesn't inspire much.
Pawlenty ... Can help McCain carry critical midwestern states, including Wisconsin
Vote for a gopher? No way!
As McCain said last week- the Vice President only has two jobs. Be a tie breaker in the Senate and on a daily basis, check on the health of the President.
Romney would be a good choice. No known skeletons or bagage. There probably are others.
In light of the Democratic problems- Sptizer's scandal and Ferraro's unapologetic racist comments, we need some cleanliness in the campaign.
Romney is just too Wall-Street-slick for many of us.
Rob Portman was Bush's front man for offhoring more jobs - probably won't play in Ohio and Michigan.
Cerainly younger, calmer, and someone who knows something about the economy.
I would select John Kasich, but politics has little to do with logic.
Some say that VPs don't help you, they only hurt you. If that is the case, Romney would be a good choice.
Also, Romney can talk about the economy better than anyone currently in the Race. McCain might need this badly for the general election.
I don't think Pawlenty would help McCain win Minnesota any more than Romney would help McCain win Michigan.
Colbert would be my choice, to deal with reporters.
As a former Minnesotan, I certainly understand the rivalry--or is it jealousy ;)-- between Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Demographically and economically, however, the states are not that different. I just keep going back to Electoral College maps and cannot see how McCain can win unless he picks up Midwestern states like Iowa, Colorado, and Ohio. A Minnesotan on the ticket helps change the battlefield in Minnesota and Wisconsin (and western Wisconsin gets most of their news from Minnesota TV stations). Of course, McCain could win big states like Michigan and Pennsylvania, which change the calculations enormously.
I was kidding about the gopher thing (unless I found out he played for the gopher hockey team, in which case, fuggetaboutit!).
The Politico article quotes Romney saying...
"Listening to Obama and Clinton discuss their national security credentials, Romney said, is akin to "listening to two chihuahuas argue about which is the biggest dog."
"When it comes to national security, John McCain is the big dog, and they are the chihuahuas," he said."
If McCain is a scarred-up junkyard dog, Romney would be.....?
Lassie
Pawlenty
Nobody's going to vote for a man who sounds like an Italian side dish.
My choice would be Sarah Pallin, Gov. Alaska.
Call me crazy but I think Jim Webb would be a great choice as VP for either party. It would be daring for McCain to select a somewhat conservative DEM to his ticket.
I think Guiliani is McCain's best choice- he helps McCain with Florida and New Jerey and Pennsylvania where Rudy is well liked.
Whoever he chooses should offer a good chance of helping to win some toss-up states. I don't think Portman does that but Pawlenty may. Romney's effect is doubtful unless he brings some really loud and hopeful soundbites as to how to ramp up jobs and the economy for the next 30 years!
Pawlenty
No one's going to vote for a man who sounds like an Italian side dish
But they will vote for a man whose name sounds like the world's most wanted terrorist?
Romney gives McCain one thing very important-- a significantly improved chance of winning Michigan.
Mel Martinez. Popular in FL, Hispanic.
AJ said: Call me crazy ...
You're crazy.
Really. You are. Webb as McCain's VP? The guy wants to skedaddle.
Bobby Jindal. Gov-LA
Pros: Southern. Son of Immigrants (I think, obviously out if he's not native-born himself). Certainly makes a dent in Barack's race card.
Cons: SNL would probably have him call into the VP debate from a Mumbai call-center.
Nobody's going to vote for a man who sounds like an Italian side dish.
As opposed to someone's whose name sounds a lot like a terrorist mastermind?
Mel Martinez
Mel Martinez is ineligible to be President because he was born in Cuba. I suppose one could argue that he could still be Vice President, but you would not want a Vice President who is ineligible to be President.
Henry - Romney would be a lousy Vice President. He'd bounce off the walls with nothing to do, like a bee in a bottle.
He would be a superb cabinet official. He'd probably want a cabinet seat, but I'd put him in the subcabinent Office of Emergency Management post.
Romney would be a great VP if he was put to work on a major mess facing America, and tasked with operating out of the VP office and working with both Parties to fix the mess.
As another poster said, the traditional role of the VP is to cast tiebreakers, sit at the SOTU Adress, see if the President dies or is incapacitated. Recent Presidents have realized that the VP is structured in the Constitution to do a great deal more - and is the only other official elected by all of the people - which gives them poolitical power that can be put to use.
As opposed to most of the other choices, Romney is not a sitting Gov or Senator, and has successful executive experience orders of magnitude greater than his VP rivals or whoever heads the Dem ticket. He has also been a person of the highest ethics and someone whose self-funding left him relatively uncompromised by special interests other than the suckup to the supply side vodoo of the cancerous Club for Growth.
Romney has, with America in sad shape because the deep problems have gone on so long without being addressed (at least since the late 80s, when gridlock hit..), ample opportunities to hit the areas he and McCain would agree on, and not end up sitting around useless as VPs once did before Mondale's time. And he has expertise in most of the specific areas of highest urgency of requiring fixes:
1. Health care costs and health insurance. As opposed to talk, Romney and Mass Democrats made a workable interim solution happen. He could lead a bipartisan effort to cut costs and extend health insurance, but keep most of the system in private enterprise and maintain choice of provider.
2. Romney is free, unlike mny Republicans like Cheney, of the oil lobby interests. He is also free of the environmental lobby that has the Dems by the short hairs. He could work to give the US a workable National Energy Plan to be passed by Congress that gives us affordable energy that has been locked up from Americans, demanding industry deliver on conservation as a price of getting Rustbelt recovery, while starting us on a 30-year transition to sources with little CO2 generation.
3. Keen interest and involvement in repairing Unfair trade policies we signed onto, American competiveness, the race to the bottom in global labor bids, and the failures of students, parents, and teachers to educate on a level the Euros and Asians have attained with less money per pupil
4. Be a champion of other competent change agents. . Provide critical support for a Team that will try to address the US fiscal mess, entitlements. Romney has done this before. Not be The Individual, but the one who selects a great team and champions it and destroys the roadblocks stopping their fix. A Team run by Bloomberg and a few well-respected Democrats and championed by Romney would be able to get past Congressional opposition of change and end around special interest money aimed at keeping the failing status quo.
Romney could do #4 and at least ONE of items #1-3.
And benefit if voters saw him recognize he is still a work in progress who needs to become more skilled and familiar with "politician speak", with national defense and foreign affairs. That while he could be President tomorrow, there are areas of improvement he needs to work on.
#5 - Another great strength of Romney is that he has 30+ years of remarkable success selecting or advising others to select the best woman and men possible for a business or situation. By being a VP with clout, Romney could greatly help McCain and the Party avoid the trap of staffing up critical Administration positions with Crony Hacks. And selecting stellar young Party members and independents and even Dems for key junior positions that will help develop them to be a generation of great leaders 20 years from now... .
Those thinking a VP must be a Fundie with belief in a 6,000 year old Earth, a person blindly conducting himself as Saint Reagan did 25 years ago, or a brilliant Democrat Party-style racial/gender identity politics pick (Pick Condi, she may have failed terribly as Bush's main advisor but she is a 2-fer! Maybe a 3-fer if she's gay!!) miss the point.
A. The Fundies have commitment that Mccain or Romney if he succeeds McCain would pick strict constructionist judges that would reconsider Roe. That they love Jesus in their hearts or believe in Israel from the Rapture is extranous dressing. Only the judges matter, and them deciding if they want Mccain or Obama picking them. The rest is just Fundie whining.
2. Saint Reagan, if he survived this long in full possession of his mind, would not be the Reagan of 1983, his mind and beliefs locked in stone. Reagan always evolved with the times and necessities. Politicians obsessed with what this former FDR follower would do if vaulted from 25 years ago neglect Reagan the evolving thinker and compromiser that would likely approve of Arnold's governing as his people want him to.
C. When Republicans play identity politics gimmicks like Alan Keyes and Harriet Miers, they get public rejection commensurate with the degree of their cynicism and insincerity.
***************
"When it comes to national security, John McCain is the big dog, and they are the chihuahuas," he said."
If McCain is a scarred-up junkyard dog, Romney would be.....?
The stronger, younger, smarter, better fed German Shepard that thinks he can take the junkyard dog - unaware that the scarred up old dog has lifetime knowledge of tactics of treachery and dirty fighting - and that the junkyard dog would be cheered in the fight by a crowd of sentimental uncritical rooters that want a last hurrah for dear old "Snagglefang".
whose name sounds like the world's most wanted terrorist?
You mean Barry O'Bama? He should be very popular among Crimson Tide fans.
Pawlenty should run on a ticket with Virginia Congressman Virgil Goode. Baby boomers will recognize their slogan:
Goode and Pawlenty -- Plenty Good!
This particular VP choice has extra importance because of McCain's age/ medical history. There is a real chance that McCain would only serve one term. If things are going well, the VP would have the White House for the taking. Anyone not ready for that wouldn't make a good choice. Romney is clearly the second dog in the Republican party right now. Someone else, elevated to VP would fracture the party if McCain only did one term, and Romney challenged him/her. The VP better be able to answer the phone at 3 AM
It seems to me that Huckabee has a better claim to be "second dog" in the Republican party right now--he won more caucuses, primaries and votes than Romney did. I don't think that either Huckabee or Romney would be good VP candidates, though--Huckabee just does not have enough appeal outside the south, and Romney just does not have enough appeal in the South.
If McCain picks Huckabee I'm moving to Canada.
Michael Steele
I don't watch much news--get most of it off the internet--and have watched only parts of the debates. After one debate, I wasn't paying attention and heard an honest-to-god conservative talking. I looked over and there was Michael Steele making sense.
The only problem is that in many ways Steele is everything McCain isn't. Fine with me, but I doubt it's so fine with McCain, who'll very likely pick some loser boy.
Romney would be good. He's white, though. And male. Not so good.
...because of McCain's age/ medical history. There is a real chance that McCain would only serve one term.
Or less. Every time McCain sneezed, Romney would become unable to function due to uncontrollable drooling. Not pretty.
Mitt Romney is the Robert Goulet of politics.
Henry said...
Romney would be a lousy Vice President. He'd bounce off the walls with nothing to do, like a bee in a bottle.
That would be absolutely false. Cheney as a VP has completely redefined, whether you like it or not, the office of VP. Romney could and would step into (I believe) a position of elevated VP status and take over many duties that Cheney has set forth for that office and he would do well at them.
EnigmatiCore said...
Romney gives McCain one thing very important-- a significantly improved chance of winning Michigan.
Ohio matters more than Michigan. You can't be President and not win Ohio.
A McCain/Romney ticket would be a good ticket on many different levels. The first and most obvious is the experience (McCain/Romney) vs. inexperienced (Obama/Hillary) issue. It is a no brainer and the veneer of Obamamania as a celebrity force would evaporate as the chinese food/cotton candy it is. I'd love to see Obama/Clinton try to defend their Marxist crap against supply side free market anti-taxation arguments on the McCain/Romney side.
The 2nd issue would be the war. Two hawks who could articulate the necessity to vanquish our enemies vs. two doves who haven't got a clue as to how to fight a war since all they've done in their collective experiences is oppose any kind of conflict personally or nationally.
The 3rd is foreign policy. McCain has been around a lot longer on that front than either of Obama/Clinton and can actually negotiate the language necessary that would be required to best position American interests. With Romney as his economic backup it would be a hard combination to fight. Romney as governer alone has enough foreign policy under his belt to be able to withstand any attack on him from that front as both a businessman and as a political executive.
The 4th and possibly the most important is the sizable state of government its constant intrusiveness into the lives of the American public. The O/C (Obama/Clinton) solution is to expand it in every way possible. To further subjugate people to the government tit. That would be an anathema on the McCain/Romney ticket. I can seriously see them finding ways to cut back and scale government down to a more manageable size. I hope anyway.
Either way, I would enthusiastically, as a Conservative support this ticket and would rub my hands in glee at watching the leftists eat crap once again as they tear themselves apart for the sheer sake of attaining power while eschewing the dignity of the American people.
Methadras, why do you think McCain would be interested in a Dick-Cheney-style Vice President? Cheney has power because he has the President's ear. That's it.
What you allude to and what Cedarford projects in more detail is a vision of the Vice President as a kind of minister without portfolio, a longer arm for the long arm of the executive, ready to grab whatever (or whoever) needs some hammering.
But what if the President just can't be bothered?
Al Gore was given some important project to do in the Clinton presidency. I don't remember what it was. At least it wasn't healthcare.
Give Romney a cabinet post and he'll have a job to do. Make him the vice president and he'll just be another courtier.
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