Looks like Mitt is off the McCain VP “short list,” so who is it?
The mortar volley between McCain and Romney during the primary would lend itself too naturally to an in-kind response from the “Omera” (Thanks Joe Veep!) campaign to this ad:
I can’t see the McCain camp having thrown this together knowing it would blow up on them in less than a week.
Pawlenty or Palin? Anyone else truly legit on the “short list?”
Pawlenty is an all-around solid guy who puts MN is serious play. Nixon (1972) was the last Republican to score MN’s electoral votes. A McCain victory in MN makes you wonder how the math could possibly add up for Obama.
Palin is interesting for a number of reasons: 1) she allows McCain to retain the huge advantage in the energy debate by keeping it at the forefront and bringing a truly “in-the-know” voice to the debate, 2) closely linked with the first point, she likely “convinces” McCain to reconsider drilling in ANWR, 3) she would be the only woman in the race on either side (what would the Hillary-ites thinka that?), 4) she is one of the easiest-on-the-eyes politicians in the game today, 5) related to the last point, has a picture perfect family and 6) she has taken on the corruption in Alaska politics, not quite as head-on as Bobby Jindal in LA, but enough for her to be credibly positioned as a successful reformer. Negatives? “Experience” — her resume is similar to Tim Kaine’s, an Obama Idol Finalist. But would Obama or any surrogates really want to break that emergency glass?
I go with Palin. Thoughts?
UPDATE: For the record, I think Romney is the best choice for McCain. But ’tis the season to pay attention to every little thing that happens in a campaign, read way too much into it and then make a bold declaration. I hope I am wrong. Mitt solidifies the ticket in many ways.
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Posted by G. Fortunato on August 23, 2008 7:05 pm
» Filed Under Elections, News, Video
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35 Responses to “Looks like Mitt is off the McCain VP “short list,” so who is it?”
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Palin Palin Palin, for all the reasons you mentioned, plus she is as pro-life as Obama is pro-abortion.
A significant difference – McCain & Romney argued about whom was the more liberal between the two of them … not that one or the other was totally inexperienced and incapable of dealing with world despots & America’s enemies as Biden critiqued
Palin would be my choice as well. The experience thing is taken care of by McCain. If only McCain would make energy the center domestic policy his campaign. He would win in a landslide.
Two words, “Sarah Barracude”!
Palin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It sounds terrible, but, hey, politics, she would drag lots of female Hillary supporters over to McCain. And lots of independent women.
Not to mention that she has done more in her short time as Gov then Barry has done.
I live in MN and Tim Pawlenty is not solid. He is not a real conservative and he believes in the global warming hoax. He is a complete fraud of a republican just like McCain. Consider these quotes from Pawlenty:
“The era of small government is over … government has to be more proactive, more aggressive.” – Tim Pawlenty
“It looks like we should have listened to President Carter” – Tim Pawlenty
“Climate change is real. Human behavior is … responsible. Those who don’t think so are simply not right. We should not spend time on voices that say it’s not real.” – Tim Pawlenty
Palin on the other hand would be a perfect choice.
Definitely PALIN!
I am keeping all fingers and toes crossed on this one.
I still can’t believe that Erkel chose “imitation moonbeam” [doesn't he look just like jerry brown till he opens his really big mouth?]
This is just too hilarious….I hope we don’t have a popcorn shortage……..
Lieberman and Ridge is out. Mitt is out. Pawlenty is out. That leaves Crist and Jindal. My bet is on Jindal.
Dude, Palin is perfect!
Sarah Barracuda, indeed.
“A significant difference – McCain & Romney argued about whom was the more liberal between the two of them”
Correct. I think that exchanges between McCain and Romney on who is tough enough on immigration will be of no use to pro-amnesty Obama and Biden.
everyone was respectful of McCain during the primaries, and the toughest exchange was when McCain unfairly called out Romney on not supporting the surge because he used some waffling language. Thin gruel indeed, “Hey, your VP is a panderer!” Well, BFD, Obama pandered and waffled throughout saddleback and if all you have is
we have a lifetime of gaffetastic Biden quotes.
Romney’s still in the running, and based on the Pawlenty comments, I’d think he’d be better than pawlenty. Palin may have some additional appeal, but as a mid-1st-term Governor, she might be more interested in keeping Alaska on the up and up.
my comment on Obama’s pick is devastating: Bad-Choice Barack Picks Sub-Average Joe
“The O team has decided on Joe Biden (D – Beltway Establishment) to give us the OBAMA BIN BIDEN ticket. This is a great pick … for the Republicans.” More here:
http://no-bama.blogspot.com/2008/08/bad-choice-barack-picks-sub-average-joe.html
Hey yo–
For the record, I have been a Mitt guy from early on, so I would love to see him on the Veep stand.
The problem is that the substance of the jabs don’t really matter. It’s the fact that they exist. The McCain camp must be aware that, substantive differences in the scrapes between Mac and Mitt and Blow Hard and Blow Harder aside, it can be used against McCain and most won’t know the difference. The press sure as shizzy-niz won’t make the distinction.
Hope its Palin, and hope McCain is listening.
..but I won’t get any hopes up. It would totally suck if I actually had something on the ticket that I could vote FOR. I’ve already trained myself to pull the lever AGAINST Obama. I don’t know how it would feel to actually have one person on the ticket that was an actual conservative. It would probably be too cool for me to handle. Therefore, I doubt it will happen. I’m putting my expectations out for McCain to choose a pro-choice, liberal Democrat.
Romney is McCain’s best pick and it will be a shame if hs isn’t chosen. Romney will match up well with Biden in the VP debate. He can play the roll of attack-dog while still looking smooth, and he is not – as Biden is – a loose cannon. With his economic experience he balances the ticket well, and he can energize the conservative base. Romney ended his campaign in a strong and classy way – putting his country above his own political interests.
I see no reason that Romney should be off the short list, in fact I think Obama’s selection of Biden should cement Romney’s place at the top of the list. Romney’s statements about McCain are not at all comparable to Biden’s comments regarding Obama. Of all those on the “short list” Romney will look best in the debate with Biden. Obama didn’t have the guts to put Clinton on the ticket -I hope McCain will show greater strength and put the strongest VP candidate – Romney – on the ticket.
I live in Alaska – it won’t be Palin. She is in the middle of a very ugly scandal:
She fired the head of the Dept of Public Safety after he refused to fire one of his Troopers. The trooper in question had been married to Palin’s sister and they were involved in a very nasty custody fight. Palin had a couple of her assistants put pressure on the dept head, her husband called, emails were sent and when he refused to get rid of the guy, she fired him and then lied about it.
It gets worse – she hired a police chief from a small town in SC Alaska to take over. After 2 weeks on the job, it was revealed that he had been disciplined for sexual harrassment so he “resigned.”
Palin looks both petty and incompetent.
My vote is for Eric Cantor of Virginia. Virginia is an important state for McCain, and Cantor is young, energetic, popular and conservative.
I think it might be Palin go to McCain Palin.com. I hope it is her by the way, she will draw the Hillary votes.
Romney let me count the reasons
Michigan
New Hampshire
Colorado
Montana
Nevada
Paul Ryan, Eric Cantor or Rudy Giuliani
Palin would be the perfect choice.
Romney would make a well rounded ticket in 2000.
Mitt wouldn’t bring in new voters. That ticket would be boring.
Mitt would be good at the the top in 4 – 8 years.
Mccain is the attack dog so he doesnt need Mitt he needs someone soft and charismatic like Obama.
Palin is new and fresh. she would excite the base and new voters alike. Plus this would be a huge slap to Obamas ego.
Its all the media would talk about 24/7. It would literally steal Obamas thunder.
I’m willing to bet Mccain would pick up 9 million votes easily with Palin or someone like her.
A case for Pawlenty:
With Joe Biden’s very partisan speech yesterday, and his singing about Bush/McCain and playing the class warfare card over and over, I do think Tim Pawlenty would be a good choice.
http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/campaign-2008/2008/05/22/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-tim-pawlenty.html
Pawlenty’s father was a truck driver.
Pawlenty worked his way through college. He was the only child in his family to graduate from college.
Pawlenty gave a speech recently on “Sam Club’s Republicans” to the National Press Club and thinks our party should be more inclusive. He says we need to be the party of the “Sam Club’s republicans not “Country Club” republicans.
http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/includes/templates/library/flash_popup.php?pID=280339-1&clipStart=&clipStop=
Pawlenty resolved a large deficit in the state of Minnesota without raising taxes.
Pawlenty thinks the “republican brand” needs new ideas and a more positive outlook.
Pawlenty and his wife are evangelical Christians and are active in their church.
Pawlenty would bring civility to a debate with Biden.
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/193711.php (pros)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120373223052387643.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries (cons)
Despite the Dems and the allied main stream media’s desperation to see Romney as McCain’s Veep, Mitt is clearly out, with (1) Obama doubling down on the class warfare theme (McCain’s 7 houses) and (2) McCain doubling down with ads showing the hypocrisy of Biden attacking Obama in the primaries — Romney did way more than that contra McCain.
This leaves only Govs Sarah Palin and Tim Pawlenty. Pro-abortion Ridge and Dem-Lieberman were never real considerations, despite relentless media goading. Pawlenty’s lackluster TV performances, coupled with Palin pizzazz, the primacy of oil drilling and the ticked off women/Hillary voters, does now portend a McCain/Palin checkmate on the Dems. This is so albeit the Dems and liberal media dare not mention Palin’s name, that is, everyone but…..
And if there’s any question as to Palin being uniquely positioned and able to more than nullify Biden in debate, see the excellent discussion at palinforvp.blogspot.com
Team McCain, well done!!!
I think it is going to be Meg Whitman of Ebay. She has the business savy as Romney and she is a woman. She is not a Washington insider or has skeletons inside her closet.She is filthy rich also. McCain so far does not have the women, black or hispanic voting blocks , with Biden on board he will have trouble with the white working class males. I believe that even conservative women would not like to see Roe Vs. Wade overturned. Obama has locked the unions especially now with Biden. The Democratic attack ads have not hit the airwaves yet. I think McCain will eventually drop in the polls ;people are beginning to figure out that he is not a maverick and his policies are 95% George Bush.
I’m not sure of the Palin card as Veep but who out the entire field of canidates is more qualified to be the CFO of the US than Mitt Romeny. McCain may stand a chance if the Economic stays in the stormy weather it’s been in for the past 4 months.
Mitt Romney is the ONLY GUY for VP. If you have ever met him, sat down and talked with him – which I did last year – you would understand how undervalued he really is. He is smart, charismatic (some of that we could use these days to offset The One) and is a brilliant businessman. Does anybody realize he is the ONLY one of the group who has EVER run a business successfully?…That alone gets my vote as a small buisnessman. The One is intent on creating a Workers Paradise in America. We’ve heard that one before – and the workers always get screwed but the hardest working always get screwed nevertheless. Read some history – “offer them what they yearn for – deliver only what you choose to…” V. Lenin 1917. BO is acting out the drama of his childhood and wants everyone to go along with his personal and unrealized yearning for existential meaning and equality. But we pay the price…Enough said (yes I am a specialist physician). Romney has no ax to grind. He is simply tailor-made for these times looming on chaos, both economic and internationally. While BO is an unrealistically idealistic leader looking for a utopia to govern, Romney is a pragmatist and this is a country is need of one with his vision on the Mac-Mitt team. We are teetering on the brink of becoming a third world power – that means we get sand kiced in our faces for a change for the next 500 years. Talking nice to our adversaries won’t make them respond in kind. So – Who can pull us out of this mess – the mess left by the Bush administration as well??? BO (aka Jimmy Carter with a Workers Unite twist) or All American Mitt and Mac? Forget the politics of the moment and your desire for everyone to just get along…and look at reality – McCain-Romney won’t be Bush-Chaney. But Obama-Biden WOULD turn out to be Carter-Mondale…Well meaning but full of nice guy rhetoric and short on real understanding how this world works. Name one socialist country that still embraces the fervor for “economic equality of the masses?” Not one. So everybody wake up. BO wants to win, so he promises the “workers” what they dream of…They will never realize it on his watch. More likely they will with McCain-Romney….Be inspired by BO-Biden perhaps – but vote for the realists.
Palin is the ALL THE WAY AROUND best pick.
She will blow the doors off the Obama wagon
GO SARAH!
Mike Huckabee is the best choice, then Jindal, then Palin…in that order.
If Romney gets the pick, I will vote against McCain. It’s that simple. And 1 million others in the nation will join me. Do you really want to risk that.
I think it should be Eric Cantor, but I think it will be Tom Ridge.
I just finished a post on the possibilities and pros and cons as I see them here:
http://aconservativeteen.blogspot.com/2008/08/who-will-be-mccains-vp-pick.html
Romney I think would still be strong, but I think Cantor is more viable for McCain, and he is a better choice than the other two younger choices, and Pawlenty won’t bring Minnesota – where he is a bit unpopular and I hear he is not a great debater – not what we need against Biden.
McCAIN, ROMNEY AND THE HOUSES
For those of us who want McCain to win, then Romney is his best hope. The overwhelming issue of the country today is the economy, not likely to improve anytime soon. And the overwhelming void in the experience of McCain, Biden and Obama, particularly the latter, is economic. In fact, the only candidate through the entire primary and general who presented legitimate economic bona fides is Romney. Sure, the media beat up his flip flops, which compared to Obama’s today, are minor. (Besides, according to a recent issue of Newsweek, now that Obama has started doing it, flip-flopping is good.) And Huckabee, the one-time key-note speaker at an anti-Mormon conference, went after Romney’s religion. But surveys showed that by the end of the primary season, Romney was carrying as many Evangelical votes as Huckabee. There’s unquestionably a narrow strata of anti-Mormon Evangelicals who still refuse to believe Mormons are Christians, but they don’t like McCain either, surely won’t vote for Obama, and with Huckabee’s demise, will likely stay home. The majority of Evangelicals are driven by critical core values that will compel them to the polls, if only to ensure that the next two Supreme Court Justices are not rabid pro-abortionists. Evangelicals understand that there’s a lot at stake that will matter long after the next President or Vice President have come and gone. In fact, McCain could use the occasion of selecting Romney as his running mate to take an aggressive and public stand against religious bigotry of any kind. When race, gender or religion are litmus tests for public service, we all lose.
Together, McCain and Romney have a real shot: this is the team – and the only one on either side of the aisle -with the expertise and experience to hit on all cylinders: National Security, Economy, Health Care, Governance, and Family Values. Together, they bring it all to the table. Both are fully vetted, Romney’s age is just right -not too young or too old to match McCain, he is seriously smart — the only candidate recognized with global economy credentials in the entire race, and he is a believable candidate for the position a heartbeat away from the Presidency. They are alike, yet different; they both convey competence and leadership; and, yes, Romney helps a McCain presidency “look” better. Finally, Romney can deliver Michigan and strengthens McCain in other key western states.
America is starting to feel desperate for leaders who can rebuild this nation’s economic stability; a President who made his money writing books just doesn’t instill confidence in me. I want the guy who turned Staples into a global giant, managed to relight the torch of a dying Olympics, and understands how to ensure America’s place in a global economy. Voters don’t care how many houses McCain and Romney own; in fact, those houses assure us me that they know how to achieve economic success. This country could use a heavy dose of that at this point in time. Give us our future. Give us McCain/Romney.
Rose well spoken, I echo your response. In our current economic crisis clearly Romney’s experience would be invaluable for our country. Our nation is deeply in dept, and our economy is in shambles. We need an individual who can lead us out of this, and Romney has proven he is very capable of doing so. Not only through his personal success, but also in his time as a governor, and his revival of the Salt Lake winter Olympics.
Secondly, Romney holds strong values. If you believe he is a Christian or not, it really does not matter. The truth of the matter is he holds the same ideals, which I hope others who would only be swayed by his faith will be able to overcome this obstacle and see the man for who he truly is. As great leader with a success record that is unrivaled by any other candidate, an individual who has strong morals, and holds great importance for family, which are essential for our nation’s future growth.
My vote is for Romney.
Romney is out. Face it. He’s done. Kaput. He divides parties and kills any chance of a win.
It’s Pawlenty. He’s not sexy nor exciting, but he’ll get the job done.
And if it is Romney, I’m voting downticket.
I wrote the McCain 2008 site an email last night telling that I’m an Indy con, the kind of voter that McCain needs. I wrote that if he picks a RINO like Ridge or a liberal like Lieberman, he’ll lose and lose big. I strongly recommended Rep. Marsha Blackburn who was supposedly on McCain’s short list. Apparently, that was a lot of bull. She’s the only true conservative he supposedly considered–probably for about 2 seconds. Once he found out she’s strongly anti-Invasion by Mexico, that did it. McCain LOVES the fact that we’ve been and continue to be invaded!!
So, it’s Ridge or Pawlenty (who’s not strongly against the Invasion) or Lieberman. Pawlenty isn’t well known and won’t help McCain in Michigan (which goes into play without Romney). It’s all over if McCain can’t win Michigan.
Oh, and another reason McCain should have picked Romney (though I still wouldn’t have voted for him). Romney won 11 states, among them Maine. McCain will need the small elector states like Maine. Romney would have given McCain Maine AND Michigan and possibly even Mass!
While I do like Romney, I think Sarah Palin would be an excellent, conservative choice that we all could rally around after the convention next week.
McCain could do FAR worse, and just might! If he chooses Lieberman, the party is over. Literally. I think it’s unlikely at this point, but it could happen.