Getting Way Ahead of Myself
I'm in a spirit of optimism tonight, so I believe that I'll do something stupid and start running possible Vice-President nominees.
There are a lot of reasons to pick a Veep. To "balance" a ticket, to give a competitive edge in a swing-state, to give gravitas to a younger president, to set up the next president for the party, etc. President Bush selected VP Cheney for the gravitas reason and to supply the adminstration with a solid number. While Sen. Kerry chose Sen. Edwards because he had nice hair. Let us hope that Gov. Romney chooses a bit more wisely.
A lot of the buzz will undoubtably focus on Condeleeza Rice. She's brilliant, experienced in foreign policy (as with most governors, this is among Romney's weaknesses), and, not to be diminshed, is a black woman. However, I don't think she's interested in ever being president and I would be very surprised if she runs on any ticket in 2008. She's also a political novice, and could be a liability at times. Also, the fact that she's a woman would be trumped if Sen. Clinton is the Democrat candidate.
So who do we have next? Looking at the Senate, there's Sen. Allen. He'll likely be a favorite amongst the rank-and-file. But he really doesn't add much to the ticket, though he would become the heir-apparent in 2016.
On the governor side of things, Gov. Barbour is generating some buzz coming out of Memphis and being the only competant person involved in the Katrina fiasco. However, he has a lot of negatives going even beyond his thick accent. Most of the remaining governors come from already solid red or blue states.
Personally, if I were advising Gov. Romney, I would point him to one of two regions: The southwest and the upper-midwest. Each of these regions is likely to flip over the next 15 years. The upper-midwest from Democrat to Republican, and the southwest from Republican to Democrat. There are a lot of good candidates in these regions. Sen. Kyl is a solid, if uninspiring prospect. Sen. Coleman is still relatively new to the job, but he's got a rising star quality. Gov. Pawlenty is another good choice if he manages to get re-elected (which I believe he will).
There is one name that floats to the top of the pack. He's a successful governor, leading the country on conservative bedrocks such as school choice and welfare reform, he's worked in Washington as a cabinet official (even earning a little experience within the War on Terror), he's from upper-midwest where he continues to be popular. His only downside is that he'll be, perhaps, too old to run for his own term in 2016. However, I somehow doubt the Republican party can hold on to the White House for 5 consecutive terms anyway.
Gov. Tommy Thompson would be the ideal running mate.
There are a lot of reasons to pick a Veep. To "balance" a ticket, to give a competitive edge in a swing-state, to give gravitas to a younger president, to set up the next president for the party, etc. President Bush selected VP Cheney for the gravitas reason and to supply the adminstration with a solid number. While Sen. Kerry chose Sen. Edwards because he had nice hair. Let us hope that Gov. Romney chooses a bit more wisely.
A lot of the buzz will undoubtably focus on Condeleeza Rice. She's brilliant, experienced in foreign policy (as with most governors, this is among Romney's weaknesses), and, not to be diminshed, is a black woman. However, I don't think she's interested in ever being president and I would be very surprised if she runs on any ticket in 2008. She's also a political novice, and could be a liability at times. Also, the fact that she's a woman would be trumped if Sen. Clinton is the Democrat candidate.
So who do we have next? Looking at the Senate, there's Sen. Allen. He'll likely be a favorite amongst the rank-and-file. But he really doesn't add much to the ticket, though he would become the heir-apparent in 2016.
On the governor side of things, Gov. Barbour is generating some buzz coming out of Memphis and being the only competant person involved in the Katrina fiasco. However, he has a lot of negatives going even beyond his thick accent. Most of the remaining governors come from already solid red or blue states.
Personally, if I were advising Gov. Romney, I would point him to one of two regions: The southwest and the upper-midwest. Each of these regions is likely to flip over the next 15 years. The upper-midwest from Democrat to Republican, and the southwest from Republican to Democrat. There are a lot of good candidates in these regions. Sen. Kyl is a solid, if uninspiring prospect. Sen. Coleman is still relatively new to the job, but he's got a rising star quality. Gov. Pawlenty is another good choice if he manages to get re-elected (which I believe he will).
There is one name that floats to the top of the pack. He's a successful governor, leading the country on conservative bedrocks such as school choice and welfare reform, he's worked in Washington as a cabinet official (even earning a little experience within the War on Terror), he's from upper-midwest where he continues to be popular. His only downside is that he'll be, perhaps, too old to run for his own term in 2016. However, I somehow doubt the Republican party can hold on to the White House for 5 consecutive terms anyway.
Gov. Tommy Thompson would be the ideal running mate.
posted by Thomas Alan | 8:21 PM
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