Play Veepstakes!
ProConPundit Picks: Sam Nunn (D-GA,retired), top; Linday Graham (R-NC), bottom. C’mon. You can’t win if you don’t play! Join the ProConPundit, and 44,847 other friends at MSNBC’s in a Final-Four like contest to choose the best running mate for John McCain and Barack Obama. For now, we’re focusing on the Republican running mate. You enter your selections once a week.
www.veepstakes.msnbc.com
Here are some thoughts on the VP matter:
Commandmant:
McCain and Obama will both need to pick Southerners.
McCain. I believe John McCain’s choice has always been known to him and is not likely to be actually evolving at all. McCain needs to build excitement and is having fun wining and dining the "short list" and the real list. Memo to Louisiana Governor Jindal, Florida Governor Charlie Christ, Huckster and Romney: Can you say third string? The invite for the brats and burgers last weekend is as good as it will get.
The ProConPundit must admit that Romney is looking better all the time...his finance and business background could help McCain. In truth, McCain could name Romney to his cabinet and draw from his expertise. Romney could well play the role of charming hatchet man in the campaign and keep some of the "true" conservatives happy.
I have believed all along that Lindsay Graham will be McCain’s running mate. Graham is his confidant and travel companion, along with Joe Lieberman. If Graham is not selected as running mate, its because a more strategic choice was needed and/or because Lindsay will be his Attorney General or Chief of Staff. Joe Lieberman will not be asked but would serve in his cabinet. McCain’s age, Obama’s star power and the economy may require a more strategic choice than what McCain originally planned.
Obama. Forget about it. If you feared it, fear not. If you really want it, move on. Hillary Clinton was never going to be Obama’s running mate and she has only ratified that instinct time and time again. It will also not be John Edwards. Should Obama be elected, Edwards would have a cabinet position.
There are three certainties about Obama’s running mate: white, male, grey hair. Don’t even get me started. No other factor competes with this one. Needing a woman to appeal to disgruntled Clintonistas. Needing Richardson to reach out to Latinos’s. Forget about it. Obama fills the out-of-the-box requirement. The ticket needs to be balanced with experience and a white guy. I have long figured Chris Dodd or Joe Biden. But as early as August 20, 2007, long before I pushed Dodd or Biden, I called Nunn as the perfect VP choice. In fact, my exact words were, " Imagine if the Democratic party were to nominate someone with pitiful experience such as Barrack Obama or John Edwards–Nunn would be the perfect choice." I never realized eating my words could be so tasty. For my full post and more info. On Sam Nunn,
http://proconpundit.blogspot.com/2007_08_01_archive.html.
I have it on good information that Obama has already been in dialogue with Sam Nunn. Drawback to Nunn? He’s been out of the Senate since 1997. Pluses to Nunn? He’s been out of the Senate since 1997. Seriously, he has all the advantages that Dodd or Biden have, and three more:
1. He’s conservative.
2. He’s a Southerner and can do more good among working class voters than Dodd or Biden.
3. We have not elected a U.S. Senator to the Presidency since 1960. I favor Senators over Governors to the Presidency but that’s another matter. The next President will be a Senator. It would be good balance for the Vice-President to be something else. The best choice would be a Governor. A former Senator is not as good as a Governor and not as bad as a current Senator!
2 comments:
Here's an important piece of advice: If it looks like it's going to be McCain/Palin anyway (and that should be a "no brainer" for Team McCain), McCain should announce NOW or VERY SOON, rather than later towards the convention. There's currently a growing chorus for Obama/Hillary (as VP) ticket (in fact the Dems are likely aware of the Palin phenomenon). If the GOP waits while movement for Hillary as VP grows -- even worse until after it is solidified that Hillary will/could be VP pick -- selecting Palin will be portrayed by Dems/liberal media more as a reaction by GOP selecting its own female (overshawdoing Palin's own remarkable assets), rather than McCain taking the lead on this. Selecting Palin now or early (contrary to the punditocracy) will mean McCain will be seen as driving the course of this campaign overwhelmingly, and the DEMS will be seen as merely reacting. And, there's absoultely no down-side to this because even if Hillary is a no-go as VP for Obama, the GOP gains by acting early. McCain the maverick. Palin the maverick. Do it now!
There's no reason, and actually substantial negative, in McCain waiting to see what the Dems do first insofar as his picking Palin as VP, because, no matter who Obama picks, Palin is by far (and I mean far) the best pick for McCain and the GOP, especially in this time of GOP woes. The GOP can be seen as the party of real 'change' (albeit I hate that mantra, change, change, bla bla), while not really having to change from GOP core conservative values, which Palin more than represents.
In light of the current oil/energy situation, as well as the disaffected female Hillary voters situation, and growing focus on McCain's age and health, Palin is more than perfect -- now.
(Perhaps Team McCain is already on to this.)
Ted..I must admit I haven't heard much about a McCain Palin ticket...but it would blow the minds of pundits and liberals alike. Thanks for the post.
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