VP - You Pick 'Em Challenge 2008
Posted by: Eniap Samoht | 02/05/2008 12:10 PM
Ok, we have narrowed the race down basically to four remaining contenders. Today was seemingly going to be the day where both parties would finalize who their nominee would be in November, but both races seem to still be open. I am going to give my picks for who will be the respective running mates for the four potential winners, and then I want to hear your thoughts and guesses. Whenever we do find out the running mates I will check to see who put the correct answers first (both of them) and you will receive a collateral package (bumper stickers, magnets, signs, etc) of the candidate of your choice!
My predictions:
If the nominee for the Republican party is....
John McCain, then Fred Thompson will be his running mate.
Many people have stated that Huckabee is the clear front-runner to become VP due to his obvious and blatant "Bill-esque" attacks on Mitt Romney as John McCains attack dog; not to mention his continuing on in the race to steal some of the conservative vote. Rudy Giuliani has also garnered some attention in this respect after his quick endorsement following his measly showing in Florida. If this isn't enough, Mitt Romney has even had some speculation his way (by Bill O'Reilly nonetheless - God love him but he's wrong on this one), although I do not think any of these will become McCain's running partner. McCain (if he's smart) will see that conservatives have become scarily distanced from him, and will want to mend those fences. Huckabee and Giuliani do not accomplish this and Romney is one of McCain's least favorite people at the moment. I think McCain will reach out to Fred Thompson to bring some of the conservative base back on board with his campaign
Mitt Romney, then Fred Thompson will be his running mate.
Yep two-for-two on the Fred-ster. Although he decided to hit Huckabee late in the game before South Carolina, his attacks were somewhat feigned and he didn't make very many enemies throughout his campaign. He is the one non-challenged conservative in the race, and will help retain the Southern vote.
If the nominee for the Democratic party is...
Dennis Kucinich, ok just kidding...
Hillary Clinton, then Barack Obama will be her running mate.
Hillary has already turned off alot of people in the Democratic party. Combined with her insanely high negatives already, she will need to mend fences and bring in Barack, who will help solidify the ticket, and who creates more of a buzz to Hillary. If you asked me who she would pick last month, I would've said Bill Richardson without hesitation. However, she has lost major ground since then, and would need Barack on her ticket or she would risk alienating too much of her base.
Barack Obama, then Bill Richardson will be his running mate.
Barack will need help getting the Hispanic vote in places like Florida and California, and he doesn't need Hillary as much as she needs him. Richardson will also make the ticket quite a bit more moderate, and also bring in some much needed foreign policy experience.
Ok, time to make fun of my picks and make your own!
If McCain is the GOP nominee, he would not be picking Fred Thompson because:
When you're the nominee, you hires someone who can bring something to the ticket. Conventional wisdom dictates that McCain will pick a southern conservative to shore up his base, but I disagreed.
The GOP nominee will carry the South. So if McCain is selecting a VP, he needs to be thinking about the swing states: Florida, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
My guess for McCain's VEEP: Florida Gov. Charlie Crist or Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
If McCain is the nominee, he already will have secured the votes of liberal Republicans and conservative Democrats, especially those who consider national security the number one issue. McCain will need to think about shoring up the conservative base with someone other than another boring, middle-aged (or older) white guy with bad hair. Can you imagine the contrasts the media and the Democrats will make?!?!
So... how about Michael Steele.
Not because he is black, but because he is fresh, new, conservative, and articulate.
Any takers?
I believe that WHEN Mitt Romney wins the nomination he will ask Thompson to be his running mate as VP. Fred has been pretty neutral in his campaigning tactics and really hasn't said anything bad about any of the other candidates, and he would appeal to the older conservative voters.
IF by some fluke McCain ends up winning the nomination he will ask Mitt Romney to join the bandwagon and be his Vice President. I think that if McCain wants to have a chance over a Clinton-Obama or Obama-Richardson ticket then he will need to have Romney to pull in all the far right conservative voters.
Sorry Scott, but I don't think McCain is really going to care that much to put a conservative on the ticket. He knows they'll vote Republican. Think strategy and think successor...
If McCain wins:
Governor Tim Pawlenty (to carry MN and even WI)
If Romney wins:
Senator Fred Thompson (establishment conservative)
If Hillary wins:
Barack Obama (to unite the party)
If Obama wins:
Bill Richardson (he needs the help with Hispanics)
If Obama wins, Republicans better think long and hard about image. Image counts. Marketing matters. Beyond the ideology and political rhetoric, how the nominees and their running mates are presented to the American public will be HUGE.
Duane Patterson over at HughHewitt.com made an interesting observation. In McCain's acceptance speech he was flanked by 4 people. He and those 4 had a combined age of 332. In contrast, Obama was flanked by 13 twentysomethings whose combined age was probably less than that number.
Duane finished by noting, "Our side looked like a 60th high school reunion, and their side looks like the Peace Corps."
This election cycle has already turned much conventional wisdom on its head. If Obama becomes the Democratic nominee, it will be critical for the Republicans to consider a running mate who will deliver key votes AND help project an image that can blunt the excitement surrounding the introduction of a fresh new face in American politics.
If it's McCain then Huckabee for VP.
If it's Romney (it won't but for this prediction)Condi Rice.
If it's Hillary then Bill Richardson (too close to the Clintons for him to go over to Obama).
If it's Obama then he should tap Jim Webb or surprise, Colin Powell(who has been advising him on national security). This would be the toughest ticket for the republicans to compete with.
Tom Daschle is in a high ranking position...and would help with some red states in the middle US. The way Obama handled ND, Kansas, etc, I like that ticket much more than others.
Daschle is Democratic Royalty, and not as cantankerous as the Clintons. I like Colin Powell after the Bushies essentially poisoned his career with the phony WMD sales job he had at the UN. It would REEEEEEEEEALLLLLY be a stick in the eye to the Republicans that dumped on Powell.