A Veep choice that can’t deliver his own state but a couple of neighboring states. It’s plausible that Rudy could tilt NJ, maybe PA and CT.

CT, NJ, PA, and NY are so close to one another that residents in that area often commute from one state to the next on a daily or almost-daily basis. Many more of these States’ residents are also in the NYC media markets, and are very familiar with the city and its issues.

Second, Giuliani’s loss in the primary is not viewed by most moderates as discrediting; rather, many see it as the same old case of a few social conservatives in the early states getting their way, while the rest of the population gets screwed. We’re happy there was an acceptable second option (McCain) this time; Giuliani’s lead in the polls was nice while it lasted.

Third:

A John Breaux pick would give McCain a stronger grip on the South, and the “unity ticket” could help bring independents and centrists to the ticket. If McCain wants to select someone outside the box, he could do worse than Breaux, who’d make a better Democratic partner than Lieberman on the basis of all these issues.

MCCAIN DOES NOT NEED TO STRENGTHEN HIS GRIP ON THE SOUTH! The game is in the near and upper Midwest, a few mountain states, Florida, and the Mid Atlantic, as usual.

Seriously, I see some major wrist-slitting on the Democratic side if Rudy is the pick. I can’t think of anyone else who would scare them half as much.

rockmom on August 19, 2008 at 3:07 PM

Oh yeah- someone with skeletons in the closet who’d further alienate social cons, and who failed miserably in the primaries. I’m sure the Dems would be shaking in their boots out of fear.

Rudy makes a horrible choice; I seriously doubt McCain has given half a thought to the idea.

Abortion is nowhere near one of my top priorities, but it is for quite a few Republican voters. If McCain nominates a pro-choice candidate, it would probably be just enough to sink him (I give McCain a 55% chance of winning as things stand now). I’m guessing that his pro-choice trial balloon is sinking like a lead brick with the base.

What has been done so brilliantly by the McCain campaign, in concert with the White House, so far has been to take away Obama’s major lines of attack against McCain and make the election about Obama and his readiness to lead. Bush has virtually disappeared, McCain has gotten on the side of the people on offshore drilling, and they have assiduously avoided anything resembling playing the race card. Obama is starting to show his frustration at not being able to land any blows against McCain.

Thus it is super-important that McCain’s VP pick not allow any line of attack by Democrats, and that the pick helps McCain pivot into an election about his strengths compared to Obama’s weakness. Giuliani does this more than any other potential VP pick. McCain’s close enough in the polls that he doesn’t need a “Hail Mary” pick, and he doesn’t need to play identity politics with a woman or a minority. I don’t think he needs a “pander to the base” pick either. He needs to pick the best and strongest guy out there who the Dems cannot attack, and that’s Rudy.

Rudy never attacked McCain during the primaries and McCain never attacked him, so there are no snarky debate videos Dems could use against them. Giuliani’s main attacker has been the New York Times, which only helps him with conservatives. Democrats cannot attack Rudy on experience, on the economic issues, or on taxes. He doesn’t have any major area of disagreement with McCain on policy, foreign or domestic. And he is certainly ready to be President if anything happens to McCain. He was TIME’s Man of the Year in 2001, which trumps even Obama’s celebrity status, and he actually earned it by performance under pressure, unlike Obama.

Dems cannot attack Rudy for being too close to Bush, as he was Mayor for only a short time after Bush took office and when Bush was still popular. They sure can’t attack him for being a right-wing Dick Cheney clone, for being a bad manager, for being “too Washington” since of course he hasn’t served in Washington since the Reagan administration, or for being divisive unless they count pissing off Al Sharpton as divisive. All they’ve got is that he has been making money as a lobbyist and was too close to Bernie Kerik – a stone that will be pretty hard for Tony Rezko’s pal to throw.

Seriously, I see some major wrist-slitting on the Democratic side if Rudy is the pick. I can’t think of anyone else who would scare them half as much.

I think it would be a compelling ticket.

AllahPundit points out that, issue-wise, Giuliani has the same strengths as McCain — post-9/11 national security hawks — but fails to note that they both have the same weakness: They’re bald….

Plus, Rudy still has broad appeal. If McCain is running on leadership, he couldn’t do any better than America’s Mayor.

Finally, the Veep is traditionally the attack dog. Rudy can certainly fill that role well.

Never gonna happen, but what the H*ll.

I’d vote for Cheney this election, if he were running. Cheney being around, and seemingly having a strong voice in Bush’s circle, was one of the things I liked most about Bush.

Cheney ‘12 :)

As others have noted, Rudy would make a better AG or Secretary of Homeland Security…

The Bush/Cheney relationship has been a positive aspect of this administration- they’ve really worked as a team instead of the VP biding his time until getting to be the presidential nominee.

The teamwork seems to have worked very well. I don’t like the way things turned in the second term, but I write that off to a lessening of Cheney’s influence.

Cheney doesn’t get much credit or many accolades for it (and he doesn’t seem to care) but he has been one of the greatest examples of the ideal public servant in a long, long, long time. He sought nothing higher and did his time in office to the best of his abilities, giving up hundreds of millions he could have made in the private sector, I’m sure. Dick Cheney has my undying respect.

Sadly, I don’t see either Obama or McCain willing and able to continue this kind of collaborative leadership. Obama’s too arrogant and McCain is too stubborn to listen to anybody’s advice but his own counsel.

highhopes on August 19, 2008 at 1:46 PM

Yeah. Although, I think McCain can be turned. The problem is that a rational argument doesn’t seem to do it, often. Once McCain thinks he is right, though …. whoa, nelly! That ship’s not coming back in. But on issues where McCain is not set I think he is open to slight movement.

Obama’s just a moron. The idea that such a lightweight, in every sense, is almost our chief Executive is just absolutely mind-boggling. I write off to 9/11 PTSD. Russia is trying to snap them out of it, though. The far left have to be sent back to the sandbox, where they can’t hurt anyone.

He has old baggage, but he is vetted. All the NYT could do is run old articles again.

But seriously, I’ve suspected Rudy’s going to have a big role in a McCain Administriation since I saw them both on the Tonight Show the night after Florida.

Steve Z on August 19, 2008 at 1:33 PM

Nice call with Kasich but I think McCain would want to keep his distance from anyone being able to say “Look Fox News isn’t only in the tank for McCain but he also has one of their host as a running mate”

I think Kasich likes the private sector money he gets right now, he said he may try again for Congress or Senate though.

I’d vote for Cheney this election, if he were running. Cheney being around, and seemingly having a strong voice in Bush’s circle, was one of the things I liked most about Bush.

progressoverpeace on August 19, 2008 at 1:23 PM

The Bush/Cheney relationship has been a positive aspect of this administration- they’ve really worked as a team instead of the VP biding his time until getting to be the presidential nominee. Sadly, I don’t see either Obama or McCain willing and able to continue this kind of collaborative leadership. Obama’s too arrogant and McCain is too stubborn to listen to anybody’s advice but his own counsel.

rockmom on August 19, 2008 at 12:58 PM

You hit on one of my big thoughts over at Redstate when trying to open up the minds of people that McCain does have a better shot at NJ then Bush did, and Bush closed the gap by a ton here.

This year we have to vote for a Senate seat, in 2000 and 2004 we didn’t vote for Senate or Governor in NJ, which brings in a big Republican turnout, with us trying to vote Lautenberg out this year any push to bring people to vote for Zimmer and McCain would be helpful to the party, and Rudy would bring that turnout.

It’s all silly season stuff but according to National Review Online McCain has been testing the waters. NR has learned that the McCain campaign has been calling key state GOP officials around the country the last couple of days and……

I suppose, however Cheney is smart as a whip and he mopped the floor with The Breck Girl…

eanax on August 19, 2008 at 1:14 PM

I’m not knocking the guy, just expressing realities about his image. I remember in ‘04 when everyone was praying that Cheney wasn’t running for a second term and Giuliani might step in as VP mate to Bush.

Of course, he didn’t need it, and Bush won.

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_042507/content/01125115.guest.html

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_080108/content/01125110.guest.html

great pic at the second link