… being as they — the modrun GOP — is more than a little crazy itself. Frank Rich on “The Molotov Party“:
In the standard analysis of the race, which the embattled GOP Establishment is eager to believe, the rapid ascent and implosion of each wacky presidential contender is seen mainly as a passing judgment on Mitt Romney, the android who just can’t close the deal and improve his unyielding 25 percent average in polls of the Republican electorate. The Old Guard professes to have no worries. That steady 25 percent has been good enough to induce much of the press to portray Romney as the “presumed” (if not the “commanding”) front-runner ever since Beltway handicappers like Mark Halperin of Time and Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post labeled him as such early in 2010. One day or another Romney will surely make good on that bet. He has money, organization, and the looks of a president (or perhaps an audio-animatronic facsimile of one). Eventually primary voters will exhaust all conceivable alternatives and accept that no Chris Christie will descend from the heavens as a deus ex machina. Then they will come home to the 25 percent leader of the pack, because that’s what well-mannered Republicans always do…
__
But this narrative is built on a patently illogical assumption: that a 25 percent minority is the trunk wagging the Republican elephant. What makes anyone seriously assume that the 75 percent will accommodate itself to that etiolated 25 percent rather than force the reverse? That lopsided majority of the GOP is so angry at the status quo that it has been driven to embrace, however fleetingly, some of the most manifestly unqualified, not to mention flakiest, presidential contenders in American history. The 75 percent is determined to take a walk on the wild side. This is less about rejecting Mitt—who’s just too bland a figure to inspire much extreme emotion con or pro—than it is about fervently wanting something else. While the 75 percent has been splintered among the non-Romney candidates, it is largely unified in its passionate convictions. Just because Trump and Cain have folded their tents doesn’t mean those convictions have fled with them, or that financial underwriters like David Koch (a major Cain enthusiast) have closed their checkbooks.
__
The 75 percent’s passions are hot because their GOP is a party of revolution….
Hyperbole aside, I’m getting the impression that while Romney is still the most probable nominee (because, once they’ve had their happy funtime screaming imprecations and waving badly-spelt signs, “falling in line” is indeed what Republicans do, textbook little authoritarians that they are), Willard’s going to be forced to choose one of the bomb-throwers as his VP offering. The good news is, I can’t see Newton Leroy Gingrich accepting the underticket. The bad news is, that leaves Bachmann, Cain, Paul, Perry, or Santorum… each one more appalling than the last. Is Dr. Ron too prickly to settle for second-best? Would the combined unctousness of a Romney/Santorum platform cause even the unchoosy low-information voter to recoil? (Heck, will the Swollen Amphibian find a way to sabotage the whole party out of spite, even if it means sacrificing valuable shelf space at the Wingnut Welfare Wurlitzer Walmart?)
SiubhanDuinne
AL, serious question: why do you assume the VP nominee has to be one of the failed Presidential candidates?
Villago Delenda Est
Given what happened in 2008, when at this point in the campaign, still, John McCain was derided as “unacceptable” by the loons of the GOP base, and they were hoping for a Guilliani or Thompson miracle to occur, when the handwriting was on the wall they all dutifully lined up behind the “unacceptable” candidate, and actually got excited when he inexplicably named Mooselini as his running mate, who was a VERY last minute stand in for Joe Looserman, who McCain actually wanted but would have caused a revolution live, on prime time, in the convention hall.
Still, great opportunities for popcorn vendors abound as the primary/caucus process rolls onward.
Brian S
I really hope it narrows down quickly to Romney v Paul, slugging it out state after state. It would be the great WTF of all primary seasons.
William Hurley
As I’ve said here before, the GOP will have a brokered convention. And it may well result in ugliness, too.
Quaker in a Basement
@SiubhanDuinne: Agree.
Mitt is Mormon and from the northeast. He’ll have to choose someone who is rabidly Protestant, southern, and trusted by the Tea Partiers. I’m not sure who is making headlines in Georgia, Texas, and Tennessee these days, but that’s where I’d start looking for his likely running mate.
dmsilev
@Villago Delenda Est: But remember, Romney was the guy who lost to McCain…
Also, the radical wing of the GOP (as distinguished from the merely extreme wing) is a bigger chunk of the Party now than they were four years ago; they may not be quite so willing to settle for a Veep.
MikeJ
I predict Romney/Petraeus.
kdaug
Doesn’t matter. The party of petulance will stay home in the general, and O
coasts“wins in a massive upset”. Then six months of finger-pointing and “no one could have predicted”.JPL
I have a question..who is Mitt? When McCain ran it was easy to point out his flip flops but this guy Mitt has more positions than silly putty.. really..
I figure he will be the nominee and then spend months trying to figure out should he put McDonnell or Rubio on the ticket.
eemom
[BLOOORT] [BLOOOORT] [BLOOOOOORT]
There has been a PeeCee violation reported on the blog! All True Liberals On Deck!
[BLOOORT] [BLOOOORT] [BLOOOOOORT]
Anne Laurie
@SiubhanDuinne: It doesn’t “have to be” — in fact, the Spousal Unit keeps reminding me it hasn’t been, in living memory — but Willard is going to choose the lowest common denominator. This Year’s Crazies have been pre-consumer-tested, all the ugly surprises have been aired, and yet they’ve every one still got supporters. I think Little Lord Finger-in-the-Wind would rather pander for a predictable audience, however modest, than risk nominating a “fresh” VP candidate who might have hidden deficits for the media to dig out… or, worse yet, someone who might be more popular than Mr. Corporations-Are-People himself. Remember the story about Romney not accepting that highly profitable vulture-capitalist post at Bain unless he could be guaranteed, in writing, that he wouldn’t have to risk anything by doing so, to the extent of demanding a pre-written cover story that would allow him to retreat with his CV intact if things at the new venture went south? This is not a guy who picks a potential Eagleton or Quayle. The Villagers’ favorite VP suggestions, guys like Jindal, Rubio, or Ryan, have the same excruciatingly boring straight-guy-in-a-suit vibe as Romney; and there may be Bugfvck Crazy Xtianist Heartlander(tm) candidates who aren’t already in this year’s race, but the crazier the candidate, the more likely there’s some disqualifying incident lurking yet unexposed in their past, right?
I’m open to new suspects here, but I think Romney is just so risk-averse and incurious that going with one of his former ‘rivals’ is going to look like the easy out for him.
amk
@MikeJ: Why would petraeus throw in his lot with this lot?
Mark S.
@SiubhanDuinne:
I think Mitt would be stupid to pick any of these idiots to be his VP, but the rumor is that he and Michele have been making googly eyes.
dmsilev
@MikeJ: Unlikely, I think. Petraeus willingly accepted a position as an Agency Director under That One. Besides, the Romneytronic 3000 pretty much needs a hard core social conservative for his base to even begin to trust him.
The Other Chuck
Ron Paul would net him nothing but crushing defeat. Santorum is another bland Northeasterner. Bachmann is bugfuck insane and isn’t good at hiding it. Huntsman is hated by the base and also another empty suit. Newt can’t work with anyone.
My guess is Perry.
JPL
@Mark S.: ugh…I’m still thinking McDonell or Rubio because the repubs need VA or Fl to win.
dmsilev
@Anne Laurie: Eh? I can think of two examples within my lifetime, and I’m a young whippersnapper. Reagan/GHWB and Obama/Biden.
Edit: Duh. Forgot Kerry/Edwards.
MikeJ
@dmsilev:
They love uniforms. republicans would like nothing better than getting rid of all this messy democracy and having a military coup.
Mike in NC
@MikeJ:
Petraeus is quite content to run the CIA while double-dipping with his pension as a retired 4-star general. No freaking way would he get into the 2012 election GOP train wreck. More likely they broker the convention and out comes a Palin/Rubio ticket.
Brachiator
I don’t see this happening at all if Mitt is the nominee, especially since none of the other contenders have broad support among either the faithful or the monied interests.
The Other Chuck
Oh and of course the main reason Romney can’t choose Huntsman as #2 is the revolt that would be raised against a double-Mormon ticket. Perry is still a possible, but yeah, Rubio or someone other than the current dirty half dozen looks a lot more likely. Perry has deep pockets, and that can’t be discounted if Romney wants to tap that (oh yeah I went there)
Omnes Omnibus
@Mike in NC: I am with you on Petraeus. Whatever else one may say about him, he is very smart and very politically savvy. Even if he has aspirations of making a run, he has to know that this is not the time.
mike in dc
Rubio or McDonnell is probably the smart money decision. Perry’s a dumbass, Bachmann’s crazy, Santorum brings nothing to the table, Paul’s obviously out(76, libertarian, doesn’t follow orders well), Gingrich won’t take the gig, and Huntsman would be redundant.
goblue72
Romney will be the nominee and it won’t be close. The large population blue states (New York, California, Michgian, Illinois, Pennsylvania) will tend to vote for the moderate GOP candidate in the primaries. Its in part how McCain won the nomination in 2008 – on the backs of states that will vote Democratic in the general. Everything else is just smoke and mirrors by the mass media to generate attention & eyeballs in the land of 24/7 coverage.
And Condi Rice will be the VP nominee.
Joseph Nobles
I’ve heard Chris Christie say he would seriously consider being a Romney veep. I’ve heard the same about Mitch Daniels.
Once again I think President Obama is walking away with this election. And the losing veep candidate will have that much of a leg up on 2016 over the others. That’s why the more serious candidates would be happy to run as veep while they stay as far away from the drivers’ seat as possible. All they have to do is not fuck up and save up some stories about how they tried to reason with Romney but Romney just wouldn’t listen.
Romney/Christie 2012.
amk
I am going with susan martinez of NM for veep for whoever ends up at the top. She is a trifecta – a wimmin, a latino and more important, really popular (at least as of now). She seems to have a record as a child advocate which should appeal to stepford wives. She also brings the mandated ‘southern’ balance.
jrg
But what about the Tea Partiers? They’re clearly an entirely different political party that won’t just “fall in line” behind the Republicans.
Har har har. Sorry. Couldn’t resist.
doofus
The only reason why we are even having this discussion at all is cause each of the not-Romneys has a horrible disqualifying deal-breaking scar. The only question is whether they are so #%))*&%#)@ deranged that they take one of the not-Romneys, disqualifying scar and all.
Linda Featheringill
@amk:
Petraeus must have other ambitions. He really might have walked off with the Republican nomination but he turned that down.
doofus
@goblue72: Condi’s a squish.
Brachiator
@amk:
New Mexico is “southern?”
Omnes Omnibus
@Linda Featheringill: 1) Too smart to run. 2) Do we actually know he is a Republican?
SiubhanDuinne
@Mike in NC:
Palin top of the ticket? Are you quite sober?
Omnes Omnibus
@SiubhanDuinne: Ergot.
Cassidy
@Linda Featheringill: Petreaus isn’t a conservative.
Narcissus
Romney/Aqua Buddha.
Calouste
@Joseph Nobles:
Only one losing VP candidate has ever made it to the White House, and that was FDR. Some of them have made it to the nomination (Dole, Mondale), but got hammered. It’s hard to get anywhere in presidential politics once you’ve been marked as a loser.
JPL
@Cassidy: maybe he’ll ask Gates but of course there will be that Osama tape that could be embarrassing. I still Romney goes with a conservative from a state he needs to win.
amk
@Brachiator: Borders TX. Southern enough.
Stop picking the nits.
Linda Featheringill
I really don’t know about the political opinions of Petreaus.
Calouste
Picking Bachmann would be electoral suicide for Romney. People will take one look and see Palin V2.0. And Romney won’t even get the post convention bounce that McCain got.
Linda Featheringill
Bachmann and Romney would actually look good as a team, as long as neither one of them said anything.
Cassidy
@JPL: Same with Gates; he’s not a conservative. My guess is that Petreaus and gates identify as “Republicans”, but the bug-fuck crazy has really turned them off. They also learned from their predecessors: neither one has made overt political affiliations known. My guess is that these two will never run for office, but instead stay in the background as part of the defense apparatus. Gates will be asked back within the next couple of POTUS’s to be SECDEF. Petreaus will move from CIA to HS.
Linda Featheringill
@amk:
I have to agree with Brachiator.
If you are trying to pick up votes in Dixie, New Mexico probably wouldn’t help. NM is West, or probably Southwest.
JPL
After the black guy in office some folks want to see two white guys. I don’t see Romney asking a white gal to run again since Palin didn’t do so good. imo
Mary G
Rubio is my most-likely. Dark horse: Rand Paul. That would be triple-awesome.
Schlemizel
I still think Willard will pick the Arkansas Huckelberry. He has a clean record and the Christainists luvs him.
Because of the way the GOP runs winner take all style Willard is not going to lose the nom unless a single non-willard appears, but that does not appear to be any of the current bozo parade.
PeakVT
Of the existing candidates, I think Perry and Bachmann are the only ones Romney might pick. Cain is too damaged, Paul is too far out, Santorum is another bland suit from the Northeast, Gingrich is a mendacious motor-mouthed jackass, and (as pointed out above) Huntsman brings redundant weaknesses. Bachmann is a nut, but she would automatically “humanize” the ticket to many because she is a woman (sexist, but some people will see it that way). Perry is stupid, but he’s a Southern male, so would be seen by some as balancing out any squishiness Mitt might have.
Martinez is someone I hadn’t thought of before a commenter mentioned her a few weeks ago. She might be a good pick, but she might also be smart enough not to sign on with what is very likely to be a losing campaign. McDonnell is termed out so he has one less major reason not to take a risk.
Catsy
@goblue72:
I think this is likely bullshit, but it would be gold if it came true. A former Bush administration official? One who was directly involved with selling the Iraq War? With tons of incriminating video and documented evidence in the public record A blatantly obvious double-pander that insults both women and blacks by assuming they’ll vote for the black woman regardless of her qualifications?
Let them be that stupid.
Also, this:
My guess is Perry if it’s going to be any of his former rivals. All the rest are bad for him in one way or another. So’s Perry, but he’s the least bad of the lot.
gocart mozart
Huckabee hates Romney
Villago Delenda Est
The key thing to remember is that there is a case that the “stronger” GOP possibilities ruled out 2012 early on, because despite the state of the economy, most people still associate the mess with the GOP, and rightly so. 8 years of utterly stupid, greedhead policies made Obama’s victory possible.
Let the OvenMitt 2000 be the sacrificial lamb this year, and let him take with him to oblivion whoever is his running mate pick.
gocart mozart
If its Romney I predict Cristie or some blan southern conservative we haven’t heard of yet, but I am gonna go out on a limb and say NotRomney will get the nod. Damned if I know what his real name will be.
goblue72
@Catsy: I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention, but the GOP has been going all-in on criticizing Obama for ending the Iraq War and for not bombing Iran.
suzanne
I think Susana Martinez. Mr. Suzanne says Haley Barbour.
Davis X. Machina
Hensarling, or some other red-meat-friendly but heretofore invisible Rep. He’ll be the Tea Party zampolit.
Evolving Deep Southerner (tense changed for accuracy)
@Joseph Nobles: Chris Christie? That disgustingly fat fuck?
Evolving Deep Southerner (tense changed for accuracy)
@suzanne: First Chris Christie gets thrown into this conversation, and now Haley Barbour? Disgusting Fat Fuck #1 or Disgusting Fat Fuck #2?
ETA: Before you go off, don’t. I’ve been fucking with my blog-crush eemom for the last couple of days.
amk
More butthurt from the townhallers on willard’s “electability”.
poor base. poor willard (irony/oxymoron intended).
waratah
@Omnes Omnibus: Over a year ago Morning Joe was giddy talking about the possibility of him running,I kind of assumed he was a conservative from his reaction. I would love for him not to be.
Linda Featheringill
@gocart mozart:
Huckabee doesn’t like Romney? Oh now that’s interesting.
suzanne
@Evolving Deep Southerner (tense changed for accuracy):
I know. I think she loves the attention, though.
Linda Featheringill
@gocart mozart:
Chris Christy might not be physically up for a campaign. He does have health issues. And a presidential campaign is grueling.
suzanne
Romney will NEVER pick Huntsman. They’re cousins.
Mnemosyne
On behalf of the Imagineers at the Walt Disney Company, I resent that remark. Modern audio-animatronics are much more lifelike than Mitt Romney is.
Lolis
I think mitt is too cautious to pick a woman. I think it’ll be a man the Villagers will swoon for. Probably Christie or Daniels.
amk
newt paid for this “ad” ?
The fat fucker is ratfucking the amurikans.
goblue72
@Catsy: Also, too. I didn’t pull Condi Rice out of thin air – GOP operatives are already floating Condi trial balloons –
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/dec/18/curl-one-president-please-with-a-side-of-rice/
handy
@suzanne:
What a borefest that ticket would be.
Evolving Deep Southerner (tense changed for accuracy)
@Lolis: Marco Rubio makes a lot of sense if you’re Mitt.
Evolving Deep Southerner (tense changed for accuracy)
@amk: Holy shit, that is awful.
eemom
@Evolving Deep Southerner (tense changed for accuracy): @suzanne:
hmm. First Mrs. Sarah, and now A L, trample y’all’s righteous sensibilities with reprehensible appearance-based snark — and still y’all are crowing over low-hanging fruit like me.
Iffen I din know better, I’d smell a couple of PeeCee chickenhawks in our midst.
handy
@amk:
Hey look, Doughy Pantload makes a cameo at 0:44!
amk
@Evolving Deep Southerner (tense changed for accuracy): Yup. Must rank in the top ten worst political ads evah.
Catsy
@goblue72: Yes, noticed that, thanks for asking. I’m talking about how the electorate is likely to respond.
Evolving Deep Southerner (tense changed for accuracy)
@eemom: Look, who’s stalking who now? Leave me alone as I contemplate Condi Rice’s ugly, gap-toothed ass as second fiddle on the Republican ticket.
handy
@amk:
Still doesn’t top this.
AxelFoley
@gocart mozart:
And I don’t think Perry’s too fond of Romney either, especially after that one debate where Romney put his hand on Perry’s shoulder when he tried to talk over him.
Nah, I don’t think Perry would accept the Veep nomination.
Kathy in St. Louis
@Mike in NC: Sweet Jesus. Palin/Rubio? Wouldn’t have thought that one up in a thousand lifetimes. I can’t imagine the GOP center, which there really is one, the money guys from Wall Street who play both sides of the street turning the government over to this nitwit.
suzanne
@eemom: Is that why you’ve brought me up in at least ten threads in which I wasn’t commenting? Because you want me to ignore you?
Dream On
Jeb Bush will be the VP.
Evolving Deep Southerner (tense changed for accuracy)
@handy: I don’t know. The demon sheep are bad, yes, but for sheer awfulness, gotta go with Newt-Hampshire.
Spaghetti Lee
Marco Rubio makes a lot of sense as a Veep choice. Important swing state, important voter-demographic, fairly young (too young?) and attractive. Of course, since the Tea Party is averse to sense, they’d probably wig out over a Yankee Mormon/Catholic Cuban ticket. I think whoever said he’d pick a red-meat-thrower from the House has a good argument too. Paul Ryan maybe?
handy
@Evolving Deep Southerner (tense changed for accuracy):
Newt fa-la-la-la-ing about his wingnut platform and congressional record is pretty pedestrian if you ask me. On the other hand….DEMON SHEEP!!! BLEET! BLEET!
MikeJ
@Spaghetti Lee: Rand Paul is another good choice for them. Young, teabagger, related to the crazy Paul but you can’t blame him for the racist newsletters. Might even get some of the young, white men who want to smoke dope.
He also doesn’t have to defend his senate seat until 2016. The downside is that if he should win, KY has a Dem governor. I’m not familiar with Kentucky’s laws for replacing a senator though, so it may not even be an issue.
MikeBoyScout
As noted above, the assumption that Willard picks one of the other Clowns is not quite on target.
The choices Team Willard is evaluating are Christie, Rubio and Jindal. Not that these 3 offer much more than the other clowns, but Team Willard understands the current set of clowns are damaged goods. With the other 3 they have a shot at setting the narrative, just like they had with Mooselini.
Bottom line, the GOP bench is thin on competence. The question remains if what is left can gin up the outrage necessary to tip the scales. I think not.
handsmile
On the issue of the relationship between Romney and Huckabee, the miracle of the Google machine (search: huckabee on romney) pulls up a number of interesting articles. Here’s one of the most recent, from CBS News dated November 21:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57328753-503544/mike-huckabee-says-conservatives-may-have-to-get-behind-romney/
Money quote:
MikeBoyScout
@81 Dream On: Jeb is not in the running. Running as Willard’s VP would only further damage his run in 2016.
HBin
Slightly OOT, but BJ has been all over EDK, Sullivan and Conor for endorsing Ron Paul in the primary, but what about this guy? He’s not just saying that he’s endorsing Paul in the Republican primary, he’s saying that if it’s Paul versus Obama, he might vote for Paul. Choice quotes:
I really don’t like Ron Paul. But preventing another needless war might be worth having an ignorant, racist, sexist, asshat like Ron Paul in the Oval Office.
I’m not saying that war with Iran is certain if Obama is re-elected. But Ron Paul is far more war-adverse than Barack Obama, and for me, being war-adverse is very possibly the single most important trait of a good President.
handy
@HBin:
Sorry but Obama’s not starting a war with Iran. So really what this guy would end up with is, in his words, just an ignorant, racist, sexist, asshat in the Oval Office. And we already had one of those not too long ago.
Evolving Deep Southerner (tense changed for accuracy)
@handy: Awfulness is indeed one of the world’s most subjective concepts.
Just think. Somewhere in these states, some people watched these ads and said to themselves “Fucking awesome! I am TOTALLY voting for Newt/Carly now!”
The prophet Nostradumbass
@HBin: Not that I’m a FPer here, but I’ve never even heard of that blog before.
Steeplejack
@HBin:
WTF?! Are you just blogwhoring for some site no one here has ever heard of? Please inform why he is more worthy of smiting than some random commenter at RedState.
Evolving Deep Southerner (tense changed for accuracy)
@HBin:
What about that guy?
Want me to find you somebody on the Internet who will not only vote for Ron Paul, but someone I can also goad into saying something so stupid the Secret Service will pay him/her a visit?
Give me about 10 minutes and I can do it. I think most anyone here could.
HBin
@handy:
I don’t know this person’s gender or ethnicity, but if I had to guess, I’m guessing it’s the gender and ethnicity that would not be affected by any racist or sexist policy Ron Paul might enact, or the racist and sexist environment that would permeate the Oval Office.
Ian
@Evolving Deep Southerner (tense changed for accuracy):
Marco Rubio makes sense if your a GOP operative who has never had to leave the white suburbs and actually ya know, talk the the Mexicans… (and not the ones who Romney created jobs for in his front yard)
Ian
@Spaghetti Lee:
See my post above. Cubans are not an important trending demographic outside of a few eastern states like Florida and Jersey.
Cubans (and other Carribbean Hispanic nationalities) have issues with the continental Hispanic communities. It comes out of a long history of Imperial Spanish treatment, different native cultures, and a stronger African influence on the Carribbean nationalities. Different cultures, different people, same language. It would be like picking a Scotsman to run for POTUS and assuming the WASP in the US would gravitate to him because he speaks English.
Edited for clarity
Evolving Deep Southerner (tense changed for accuracy)
@handy: At least the sheep (the un-retouched ones) looked indifferent to being made to suffer the indignity of being featured in the Fiorina ad. The Newt staff people looked embarrassed as fuck in Newt’s ad. So I give them credit for that much self-awareness.
SIA
I’m guessing Bob McDonnell, Virginia governor, for VP, as someone said earlier. He’s both Bible Belt conservative and a country club Republican. He’s a total ass but hasn’t been skewered as much in public as some of the other GOP guv’nors. Even if Rubio is asked, he won’t go for it. Marco takes very good care of Marco and he knows Romney can’t help him. He’ll bide his time. Christie is out – not conservative enough. Romney would be skeered to pick Gov. Martinez.
Yutsano
@handsmile: Huckabee won’t run as VP for the same reason he didn’t run this time around: four dead cops in Washington that can be traced back to his actions as governor of Arkansas. It’s oppo research gold and he has never effectively addressed it.
The prophet Nostradumbass
Here are some more hilarious choices I hope the eventual GOP nominee thinks about: Scott Walker, Rick Scott, Jon Kascih, Mitch McConnell.
Dream On
@Yutsano: Yep, the Maurice Clemmons parole killed Huckabee’s national chances forever.
FlipYrWhig
@HBin: Tell him it’s “averse,” not “adverse.”
I was also thinking Barbour as a potential Mitt mate. He would also have the benefit (as they see it) of not tying up the heir apparent role the way Rubio or McDonnell would. But Martinez sounds intriguing. Maybe Jim DeMint, who could lose without damaging his future prospects.
Brachiator
@goblue72:
Will never happen. Condi has no experience governing, has no political base, and has been criticized by Cheney as being too soft on foreign policy. Also, she is unmarried, except in her heart, to Dubya. I don’t see her pulling the conservative woman or starburst vote the way that Palin did.
eemom
@suzanne:
links plz, to threads in which I’ve brought up you AND threads in which you’ve brought up me. Then we’ll talk about who craves attention. kthxbai.
Brandon
@suzanne: I agree, definitely Haley Barbour. Romney needs a southerner. Perry has now established himself as a moron. The Village (and lobbyist) love Barbour. Enough said.
KG
When was the last time a Republican picked a primary opponent for the VP slot? Reagan in 80? Palin didn’t run, neither did Cheney, nor Kemp (in ’96), Quayle wasn’t a candidate in ’88 either, was he?
My gut still says it will be Romney, he’s next in line and has executive experience. But… given all the “things we’d never see in our life times” that have actually happened in the last 15 years (impeachment, winning the electoral college while losing the popular vote, California governor recalled, black man elected president, Red Sox winning the World Series (only half kidding), etc), I wouldn’t put a brokered convention out of bounds.
And whoever mentioned it up thread that the GOP bigs were staying out this year and letting Romney take one for the team, you’re absolutely right. It’s not just that they figured the GOP was still going to get the blame, they also looked at what Obama did in the electoral college last time and realized that it was going to be nearly impossible to win this year. They’ve got to hold everything McCain won and flip five big states, that ain’ easy against an incumbant.
MikeJ
@Brachiator:
Republicans think the same is true of Obama. Rice lets them have “one of the good ones”, and a woman to appease the mythical pumas too.
Mnemosyne
I think the VP choice depends heavily on how the Romney campaign is going. If they think they still have a chance to sway independents, it could be Rice or Rubio so they can “prove” they’re not racist.
If it’s not going well, expect a white man like Ryan or Barbour so they can run a Hail Mary “but Obama is BLACK!?!” campaign to the racists.
Jean
@SIA: “Bob’s for Jobs” McDonnell has been running for VP without evening knowing who will be the eventual nominee. His approval rating is rather high. He’s done the usual Republican thing here–take funds from the localities, call it a surplus, say, Look, No new taxes, and then leave it to the localities to raise taxes because now they have nothing left.
PeakVT
@MikeJ: Rice would be a good pick if she wasn’t Condi Rice. As it stands, she’s an unhappy-looking person who would be accused of being a lesbian in the minds of many Republican voters, and who would remind moderates of the Bush Administration and the Iraq War.
SIA
@Jean: He also has that Quayle-ish vapidIty and “good looks” (ack!) that seems to be popular in GOP circles. His attorney general is driving the Crazy Car for him so he appears quasi-presentable to those not paying attention. He gives me the pips.
Brachiator
@MikeJ:
Sorry, this does not make sense, even for Republicans. And pumas didn’t just want a woman president, they were dedicated to the proposition that Hillary Clinton was supposed to be the first woman president. I don’t see them shifting loyalties to Condi.
Condi would also be mocked as the woman who gave Qadaffi starbursts.
Spaghetti Lee
@Ian:
I don’t mean to insult anybody, but it seems to me that if the GOP could makeover GWB into a tough guy war hero and John Kerry into a sniveling effete coward, they’d be willing to have a go at making Marco Rubio into Mr. Hispanic-American.
Mnemosyne
@Spaghetti Lee:
Oh, they’re having a go at it, but they’re not going to fool many actual Latinos. Bush got the highest percentage of Latino voters of any Republican presidential candidate ever in 2004 — 44 percent. As Jeb is quoted saying in the attached article, that ain’t gonna cut it.
Jean
@SIA: He does have a Quayle look. And he’s about as interesting and sharp. Romney and McDonnell would have 1/2 a personality between them. And that 1/2 would be BORING.
Yutsano
@Mnemosyne:
Jeb’s best tool sleeps with him: his Mexicano wife. Ironically she is the one thing that keeps him from running while teh crazy is still running the show. She also has her own ethical issues relating to business dealings with Mexico that could keep her from connecting to other Mexicans in the US.
MikeJ
@Brachiator:
Nah, pumas were dedicated to electing Republicans. That’s why they switched to thinking Palin was the cat’s.
Ian
@Spaghetti Lee:
I am 100% positive they will try, and probably convince their faux noise base. The question is will this work on Latino voters? Much like Cain failed to pull a significant amount of AA support in polling, I doubt the Cuban Rubio will have affect on other Hispanic groups.
A related question is how successful the Obama campaign efforts at Latino turnout are. With no progress on immigration reform and the DREAM act voting splitting Dems (and failing) I am concerned about the Democratic record here.
catclub
@kdaug: “Then six months of finger-pointing and “no one could have predicted”.
Also six months of saying the GOP is dead for a generation, followed by substantial losses in the mid-term elections.
Schlemizel
@gocart mozart:
See LBJ/JFK or RWR/GHWB
No love lost but smart politics
I will admit I had forgotten about Hally Barpour – that could do the trick for Willard too.
Larv
I’m not so sure about this. I suspect whoever wins the nomination will immediately start ignoring the base and attempting to appeal to independents. They’ll rely on massive third party advertising by SuperPACs and the like to paint Obama as History’s Greatest Monster 2 and get the base to show up at the polls to vote against him. All the while pretending that this whole clown show of a primary never happened, acting as moderate as possible, and talking about absolutely nothing but the economy. It seems to me that once the nom’s in the bag, the bomb-throwers become not just irrelevant but an actual liability in the general. Or am I missing something?
pattonbt
I dont think there will be any “serious” candidate accepting the VP slot (by serious, I mean, established with future ambitions – Rubio, J Bush, Christie, Barbour, Jindal etc.). I think they want to stay away from this election and put their hopes, if they have any, on 2016 when it will most likely be a clear field (I know Obama’s re-election is not certain, but I would have him as a slight favorite and when the clown show hits full swing, his positives will rise). And Rubio may wait even longer (I think he will be big in years to come).
I think Romney will be forced to choose from desperation and party pressure. Mitt will do as told, and the party will demand a bomb thrower. I can’t see that any of the current candidates getting a serious look as they have all shot up and down in the polls and people find them lacking (seriously lacking).
So someone like Rand Paul, or go south / west. Get a good southern code talker or a western mans man. Or a swing state heavy (Ohio, Florida, Virginia, etc.). I think they’d love to have a woman, but I think it will be a man. The other option is the empty suit (Thune-esque). I also think they need someone who’s been in politics, and they can use the phrase “had to make payroll” and “has executive experience” with so I’m looking at a R governor with a couple years under his/her belt. So, not knowing any of these peoples histories I’ll go with this short list:
Butch Otter (have no idea, but love the last name Otter)
Bob McDonnell (as others have already pointed out)
Rand Paul (brings the crazy)
Thune (empty suit)
Allen West (brings the crazy)
And I am sure it will be none of the above because I can’t pick for shit. But I’d put my money on McDonnell.