The case for Romney
posted at 9:50 am on August 25, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
After Barack Obama fumbled his running mate selection in both choice and process by selecting Joe Biden, John McCain has a wide-open field for his choice of VP candidates. About the only limitation he has is to refrain from choosing another Senator. McCain needs someone who can help address any weaknesses and who can add some serious outsider credentials to the ticket. Plenty of potential picks can help McCain, including governors Tim Pawlenty, Sarah Palin, and even perhaps the young Matt Blunt of Missouri.
Mitt Romney, a former Governor, may be best positioned of all, though, on the economy. If Romney gets selected for McCain’s running mate, he will be the only one of the four principals who has actually run a business, and run it successfully. He knows more about economic policy in both academic and practical terms than any of them, and hits Barack Obama in his key strength among voters.
Romney (and Pawlenty and Blunt) also have another quality that Joe Biden lacks: potential to deliver battleground states. Speculation about Michigan appears to have a solid basis in fact. In May, Survey USA tested a McCain/Romney ticket against several different iterations of an Obama ticket. Surprisingly, it beat every single possibility, but was especially strong against an Obama/Biden ticket:
- vs Obama/Biden: +18
- vs Obama/Clinton: +5
- vs Obama/Gore: +5
- vs Obama/(John) Edwards: +3
A McCain/Romney ticket slightly edges Obama/Biden among women and gets a 35-point advantage among men. Interestingly, it gets 28% of the black vote, too.
Pawlenty and Blunt can help deliver battleground states, too, and Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman can strengthen McCain on economic policy. Mitt Romney can do both and has background in both public and private sector leadership that none of the other potential candidates have. Moreover, Romney has proven himself an excellent debater in the kind of format used over the past year and will have little problem matching up against Biden next month in the one televised debate.
The other candidates have their strengths as well, and the choice of Biden leaves McCain with the happy burden of many options. Romney appears to have the strongest credentials.
Blowback
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With all the women named i don’t see Condy Rice in the mix.
Would that not be a great debate….Rice vs Biden.
Biden will pray there is only one.
Mo on August 25, 2008 at 11:09 AM
I don’t mind someone telling me I’m going to hell, so long as they don’t do anything to hasten my journey there.
MarkTheGreat on August 25, 2008 at 11:09 AM
Kay Bailey Hutchison is unabashedly pro-choice. Case closed.
texette on August 25, 2008 at 11:11 AM
You make a good point. What Palin lacks as an attack dog could be made up by the guarantee that Biden will make an a** of himself. I am still shocked that people are talking more about “Barrack America” than the “Drop dead gorgeous/ too bad she’s smart” gaff.
Hmmm… What would be more fun to watch? Biden as a misogynist or Romney playing with his food while Biden explodes and has another aneurysm…
Damiano on August 25, 2008 at 11:11 AM
I like Palin too, but the public at large doesn’t know anything about her, and therefore their first take, there first impression, will be that it’s just a gimmick to woo Hilary voters. I know she’s talented, but it’s just too soon. She has to build up some national awareness first.
RBMN on August 25, 2008 at 11:12 AM
McCain/Rice
There’s your syllable equation!
Mo on August 25, 2008 at 11:13 AM
What I meant was if someone told me that, he (or she) will be off my party invitee list :-).
Gaurav on August 25, 2008 at 11:13 AM
What if I instead jab you in the ribs and tell you you’re looking obsessed? Fiorina is not going to be the VP. It’s well-known that she has numerous detractors, though there are two sides to every disagreement. In retrospect, for instance, many who criticized the Compaq deal, have come around to thinking it turned out fairly well strategically. But you haven’t even mentioned the real reason she’s disqualified: The “spying” scandal. Anyone, stop worrying about her, or are you the kind of person who stays up late at night worrying about getting struck by lightning?
CK MacLeod on August 25, 2008 at 11:15 AM
Ms. Rice has been fairly unequivocable in her statements that she doesn’t want the job.
MarkTheGreat on August 25, 2008 at 11:15 AM
Damiano on August 25, 2008 at 11:03 AM
Excellent post and I agree with most all of it.
I think McCain/Myrick would be an excellent ticket. Myrick isn’t well known, but it would solidify the border control group. She’s a strong woman who won’t back down to anyone.
But skinner, the point is more about socialized medicine (you know Hillary’s baby) that is bankrupting the state than abortion for 50 bucks. It is costing the state much more than they had planned, and they are asking the doctors to take less and less money. And the program hasn’t been up for a year yet.
His abortion stance is noted clearly in this debate for governor in 2002 video here.
I don’t see how you can get any more clearly pro-choice than this. . . but if you don’t believe he is pro-life, you must be anti-mormon bigot.
ThackerAgency on August 25, 2008 at 11:16 AM
I live in Massachusetts and Romney gets all the blame for Dem tactics ruining this state and none of the credit for what he did and tried to do to improve the business climate and efficiency of state government. Everyone forgets that Romney did not take a salary and most of his top administration officials also. He tried to merge inefficient state agencies and semi-private entities such as the turnpike authority riddled with corruption and retired state hacks only out for the rich pension programs only to be constantly thwarted by the legislature. Same sex marriage was approved by a 5 to 4 vote of the judiciary and the legislature ignored the people of the state by not even allowing a vote to come before the constitutional convention. Although originally against the health insurance mandate, it is working and used the free market to allow self employed people like myself to buy a good program at a reasonable price. You would think that after seeing how frustrated the republicans are trying to get legislation passed with a democrat majority only succeeding by using their ability to sustain vetoes, they would see the difficulty Romney faced in an overwhelming democrat state where he did not even have enough repubs to sustain a veto and was constantly overrriden. Compared to our current governor who started out by redecorating his office at taxpayer expense and hiring a public relations person for his wife and being manhandled by the legislature, Romney at least stood up for what he believed and kept taxes from going up during his administration. Religion has no place in politics and I never saw a single instance of his Mormon faith interfering with his ability to govern or even being brought up in the course of discussion.
sharonlr on August 25, 2008 at 11:16 AM
Being a CT resident I like Governor Rell but I don’t think that she has the “pitbull” personality and intimidating stance that would be needed for a run up with Biden. She’s very good for the state, being fairly even-keeled and kind, but I think she would be a losing proposition on the national level.
ayrab on August 25, 2008 at 11:18 AM
I sure wouldn’t be one to do that – I was a hardcore agnostic for 25+ years before I converted Mormon. I would hope that those proposing that end up figuring out that they’re not the arbitrators of that anyway. ;)
But my religion has never been the reason I supported Mitt. You needed to see what he did in SLC for the 2002 – I worked as a government contractor there setting up the computer systems/networks that ran traffic and what he did to turn the Winter Games and clean up corruption was second only to a miracle.
I would say he could do that in this capacity.
SkinnerVic on August 25, 2008 at 11:18 AM
Which is why Prof. Reynolds should never become President :-)
Gaurav on August 25, 2008 at 11:18 AM
The faster Romney takes his ersatz Reagan sunniness, his toothless preppy pep, to the lecture circuit, the better for conservatives who actually want to win. This guy is the Dave Winfield of politicians — a mighty wiffer — and yes, he’d be flayed open by the class-warfare Democrats.
In my opinion, Obama’s choice of Biden has opened the door so wide for a woman only a true Republican could miss the opportunity (so maybe there’s still hope for McCain.) McCain needs a smart, tough, relatively young, executive-experienced woman to trump the “change” democrats and shake this farce up a little. We need some authentic audacity for a change here, ladies and gentlemen.
rrpjr on August 25, 2008 at 11:18 AM
He definately needs someone younger. Romney may be good for the economic questions. Didn’t I see a post on here last week about Palin being in favor of windfall profits tax in Alaska? That may hurt McCain. Huckabee is has socialist tendencies, and I don’t know much about the other folks on the list, so I think Romney would be the obvious choice.
p40tiger on August 25, 2008 at 11:20 AM
Romney-care is more liberal than Hillarycare for socialized medicine. While Romney is a nice person, this socialized medicine is complete government control over the health care system and should be a red flag to conservatives.
Of course Romney is just like McCain in that he’ll do and believe whatever he has to to win an election. ‘Promise them anything’ was the battle cry to help him win Michigan during the primaries wasn’t it? That’s a problem to me. . . but it gets people elected.
ThackerAgency on August 25, 2008 at 11:20 AM
LOL! For months now the “shut up and vote McCain” crowd has been giving McCain a pass on all his ‘not so conservative’ positions because these people seem willing to accept anything so long as the GOP gets the “win.” Now, at least, the idea is out there to put somebody whose positions are the right of McCain is being attacked for being too liberal? It’s absurd!
highhopes on August 25, 2008 at 11:21 AM
Don’t worry about the South if Romney gets the VP pick. Rasmussen polls have McCain leading most Southern states by double digits, and McCain could afford a small anti-Mormon backlash there. VA might be a problem, but a McCain win in Michigan (based on Romney’s father’s coattails) could erase a loss in Virginia, and there is a big Mormon vote in CO. The real question is whether McCain/Romney could win Ohio.
I’m with KBird–why aren’t more people talking about John Kasich? He could definitely hold his own in a debate with Biden, and is from Ohio!
Steve Z on August 25, 2008 at 11:22 AM
I wanted Romney as the candidate not McCain. The only drawback is that Romney will get tainted with a McCain presidency. McCain is a “do no harm” candidate.Obama is he “will do immense harm” candidate so the choice is easy. But if GOP has been unhappy with Bush they will more so with McCain. He is a poor executive and a has an urge to go off the GOP reservation a lot. He is used to be the maverick but once in charge can he change? I do not know.
Romney is disciplined and smart and had a fast learning curve. He is a traditional conservative, private markets good. Strong Anerica good, Do not push your religion on others good. Has decided abortion is wrong.
I would like the second string of GOP candidates to wait for the next elections. We need more and better candidates to be brought up in the system so more good GOP reps can get elected and better senate picks.
Palin and Jindel need more seasoning and would be tainted early if picked by McCain. Pawlenty also neeeds seasoning. He has not been on the Washington talk show circuit much. He is still a lamb led to slaughter.
Romney is seasoned and tough and can debate well and attack well. Plus he can help in Colorado, Massachusettes as well as Michigan.
RAH on August 25, 2008 at 11:22 AM
You’d think some of the commenters on this site would be more informed about Romney’s positioning on abortion.
Romney just said that he wouldn’t change the law that is already in place. He is a conservative on almost all issues. He disagrees with abortion. He believes it’s a sin. However, at that moment, he believed he policy shouldn’t be telling people how to live their lives, especially when the law is already in place, and there’d be no way he’d get elected in Mass.
iamse7en on August 25, 2008 at 11:24 AM
sharonlr on August 25, 2008 at 11:16 AM
That’s excellent information from a Mass resident who would know. Thank you.
But didn’t he increase fees for different things? And he was really trying to hang his hat on that socialized medicine thing. It’s going to be an anvil around your state’s budget for a long long time to come. It’s already costing something like 2 x what it was supposed to cost because so many people are signing up. The UK is drowning in debt because of their system. America shouldn’t repeat that.
In NC, we have a risk pool for those that are unable to get private insurance due to health issues. That risk pool is funded by the insurance companies that provide insurance in this state. It starts on Jan 1. I think it is a much better model than mandatory coverage dictated by the government.
ThackerAgency on August 25, 2008 at 11:24 AM
What bothers me about your post is the fact you seem to think gender is the most important factor in choosing a VP. That’s strategy friend, nothing more. Whatever happened to the concept of “best qualified?” Frankly none of the women whose names are being discussed have the experience necessary for THIS election. I’d expect to see them in 2012 but not 2008.
highhopes on August 25, 2008 at 11:24 AM
The timing, in my view, is exactly right for Palin–just as it is exactly right (God help us) for McCain. This isn’t the usual election. We’re running against Obama.
If something tragic happens to McCain, Palin has something that sometimes may be better than experience. She has principles, which few people have these days, and the good sense to consult experts, which all presidents should do.
She may be HOT, but never forget that she is smart, smart, smart.
texette on August 25, 2008 at 11:25 AM
I don’t really care if he believes it is a sin or not. . . I want to know if he believes it is murder.
And that’s my point. What you believe isn’t as important as what will get you elected. So our system punishes people for having conviction which is why we get politicians who change positions depending on what group they are talking to.
Their conviction is. . . whatever will get me elected. McCain/Clinton 08
ThackerAgency on August 25, 2008 at 11:26 AM
I think they will when their other choice is a black muslim.
stenwin77 on August 25, 2008 at 11:28 AM
McMitt!!!
D2Boston on August 25, 2008 at 11:30 AM
Sue Myrick was mayor of Charlotte, NC for 4 years and has been in the House of Representatives in DC for 13 years. I’d say she’s plenty experienced. . . and as conservative as they get. Myrick would be the best choice, but nobody has heard of her.
ThackerAgency on August 25, 2008 at 11:30 AM
I would ditto that. I can’t say strongly enough how grueling the next 70 days will be. Romney is one of the few who’s already passed that test. Remember Perot in 1992, dropped out because the Republicans were going to disrupt his daughter’s wedding. Honest to gosh, remember that? And Perot was a veteran of CEOland. You’d think he could handle it, but he couldn’t. They will knock you down, stomp on your ribs, and then grind your face into the dirt with their heel. You better be prepared to take it. Tough like a Margaret Thatcher, smart like a Bill Clinton, mean like Hillary. Don’t pick someone who might very well crack under the pressure. Why roll the dice now.
Paul-Cincy on August 25, 2008 at 11:30 AM
McCain’s decision comes down to this: Does he go with the credentialed choice, the safe choice, or the gimmick choice.
If he goes with the credentialed choice, there is no-one who can touch Romney’s resume; no-one, that is, except perhaps Giuliani. If he goes for a gimmick choice, he can choose several — Palin and Lieberman spring to mind. If he wants to go with a safe choice, there are any number of possiblities to choose from — Pawlenty, for example.
As a life long Republican, I am hoping he goes with the credentialed choice. If McCain was far out ahead, or if the election year favored a GOP victory, then he could safely go with the safe choice. And as for the gimmick, let the Democrats do that. We Republicans tend to prefer quality over gimmick.
Marking Time on August 25, 2008 at 11:31 AM
Maybe we could get Dale Murphy the former Atlanta Braves baseball player to introduce Romney while on the campaign trail.
BTW….one of the girls from my small home town and was a cheerleader with in High School, Nancy Thomas, is married to Dale Murphy. Very nice and conservative family. He could be a great spokesman.
Just thinking ahead of myself.
Winebabe on August 25, 2008 at 11:32 AM
She’s also a friend to illegal immigrants.
the new aesthetic on August 25, 2008 at 11:33 AM
No identity politics. The last time the GOP did this we got Sandra Day O’Connor on the Supreme Court and Liddy Dole in charge of the GOP Senate Re-election campaign.
Pick the person who can help McCain win and keep the appeasing Marxist out of the White House.
Wethal on August 25, 2008 at 11:34 AM
I’m for Mitt Romney!!
reshas1 on August 25, 2008 at 11:37 AM
You hit the nail on the head. As a good rule of thumb, when the Republicans play identity politics, we lose.
Marking Time on August 25, 2008 at 11:37 AM
Romney is the best choice….especially if you consider the fact that McCain’s age may leave him to actually govern at some point. He is best for the country which is the most important thing….of course i do think he is the best for the ticket also. I could live with almost anyone…except Tim Pawlenty…he makes McCain look like Reagan. In fact, i could not pull the lever for a McCain/Pawlenty ticket. It would be too liberal for me to accept. Yes…after all McCain’s faults i have drawn the line at Pawlenty….i admit my insanity and ask humbly for your forgiveness–
alecj on August 25, 2008 at 11:38 AM
This issue is about trust. Do voters trust Obama, or do they trust the other guy? Side by side, Obama is steadily losing the trust contest to McCain. The Biden pick is meant to reverse that trend by saying to voters “You can trust Obama because of Biden’s steady hand.” McCain needs to continue the attack on Obama’s trustworthiness while lifting himself out of the fray.
On the issue of Romney coming across as overly strong, even mean, yes, he’s quite self-righteous, and he is tone-deaf in some ways. This gives him a certain edge that can be a turn off to some.
There is a positive side, though. His personality would make Romney a great attack dog. Putting Romney next to McCain smoothes McCain’s edges and turns McCain into the friendly neighbor. As Obama’s trustworthiness is called into question, McCain will come across as the honest one, the one with good character that you can trust.
This election comes down to one question: Do you want Obama to be your President?” Romney will do more than any other possible running mate of McCain to convince people that Obama should not be their President. Meanwhile, McCain will stay positive, earn the trust of voters, and receive the “Anyone but Obama” vote.
No one is going to base their vote in this election on not wanting Romney as Vice-President, just like no one is going to base their vote on not wanting Biden as Vice-President. It just doesn’t enter into the equation.
Palin is nice. Hutchinson is nice. McCain is nice (except when he pops off). Obama has worked extremely hard to put a friendly face on for the public, while ordering surrogates to knife opponents in the back, giving Obama plausible deniability.
We need someone as mean as Obama and Biden. Remember what Obama did to his Illinois opponents (divorce records unsealed, opponents kicked off the ballot) and what he did to Hillary (“Don’t be bamboozled” one day, “Post-racial politics” the next). Remember what Biden did to Clarence Thomas.
We need a battle-scarred political warrior to expose Obama/ Joe Biden for the nasty mess it is. That warrior is Mitt Romney.
indythinker on August 25, 2008 at 11:38 AM
There is also Eric Cantor, only Jewish GOP House member. Good economic credentials (on Ways & Means). Downside is lack of name recognition and risking a GOP House seat. But could pull away some Jewish Dem votes (especially in the purple Philly suburbs or in Florida), and independents who don’t like Obama’s economics.
Cantor was one of the House members in the “Drill Now” camp out in the House.
Wethal on August 25, 2008 at 11:38 AM
MARSHA BLACKBURN, MARSHA BLACKBURN!!! She’s clearly the best choice for McCain if he wants a smart, conservative, experienced female. http://blackburn.house.gov/
uncalheels on August 25, 2008 at 11:39 AM
I wasn’t in favor of Romney during the primaries, as I was involved with the early Fred efforts here in Texas, and I then considered McCain to be my second favorite candidate at the time, but Mitt has grown on me over the months. His willingness to swallow all of that campaign debt, while ceaselessly campaigning for McCain in the states where he can help has impressed me, and at this point I think it would be a very bad mistake for McCain and company to get cute and nominate a possible milque-toast like Pawlenty, or a flawed gimmick veep like Lieberman, Palin (who I love, but is obviously too young), Jindal, Ridge, etc…
Romney is an experienced, accomplished, smart fella who will be able to savage The One in his attack dog role very effectively over the remainder of this campaign, he can hold his own against Biden and make Joe Hairplugs look like the small, loud barker that he is, and he brings a balance and conservative stability to the ticket that I do not believe any other serious veep candidate can rival. Factor in his unique battleground state appeal (NV, Co, MI, MT, etc… ), and I just don’t see how there is any other sane choice for Team McCain.
As I said earlier in this post, when you can put a proven slugger like Romney up on deck, getting cute here with a gimmick veep nomination would be a big, possibly fatal mistake, is the bum nickel I’d throw on the pile…
Evilmav2 on August 25, 2008 at 11:41 AM
There is no doubt Eric Cantor has credentials, but they pale when compared to Romney and/or Giuliani.
Marking Time on August 25, 2008 at 11:41 AM
I agree, but I also gave up on a legitimate election on the day that Obama was nominated. Seriously, how can anyone possibly support such a wet-behind-the-(enormous)ears, shift-with-the-polls, vote-’present’, candidate? This is an election where people are buying into ‘Hope’ and ‘Change’ without questioning what either mean, not that they’d get an answer if they did. It is absurd that any rational person could possibly support Obama, even putting aside his friendships with racists and felons.
This election in ENTIRELY about window-dressing; as sad as that is. It pathetic, but the majority of people are voting on nothing more than being anti-Bush; and the Democrats are relishing in it. Obama couldn’t compete with Mickey Mouse for the job of dog catcher in any reasonable election.
I like McCain. I disagree with him on several things, but at least I know where he stands and he is undoubtedly committed to doing the right thing, even if what is right is against his ideas or the popular ones. Unfortunately, too many people are hung up on electing an empty suit on for the sole reason that he’s not Bush and he’s black. McCain’s got to fight fire with fire. Palin seems qualified, only she’s untested. Normally, I would demand that she cook longer, but if it means winning an election and letting her stew as VP instead of Governor, so be it.
Damiano on August 25, 2008 at 11:43 AM
Romney is like the white version of Obama.
Has anyone not seen how much this man has changed his positions? He gives off the aura of an used car salesman.
If anyone’s worried about Pawlenty being demolished by Biden at the VP debates, have you guys seen how Romney performed in debates?
YellowDawg on August 25, 2008 at 11:44 AM
John Kasich – not enough experience. Too much of a negative backlash because he is associated with Fox News. He would undercut McCain’s argument about experience and McCain’s argument about being Maverick.
indythinker on August 25, 2008 at 11:45 AM
I thought you were asking because you didn’t know. I’m not interested in arguing the point, I was just answering your question.
fossten on August 25, 2008 at 11:45 AM
I don’t think Matt Blunt will accept the position, as you know he’s not running for re-election for Missouri Gov. citing wanting to spend more time with his family as a reason.
He’s well liked in the Show Me State though…
nazo311 on August 25, 2008 at 11:46 AM
Marsha Blackburn would undercut McCain’s experience argument and his argument about being Maverick. Blackburn has not served in the Senate and thus has very limited foreign policy experience. She is female. She is just not ready for a national ticket.
If the GOP was smarter, they would do more to get women elected as Senators and Governors. Blackburn is a case in point.
indythinker on August 25, 2008 at 11:49 AM
Mitt Romney would be a disaster as VP. Despite his millions, he wasn’t able to connect with anyone in the primaries. He’s generic…he’d be a better RNC Chairman than vice president.
It's Vintage, Duh on August 25, 2008 at 11:49 AM
There are several questions out there about why Evangelicals would have a problem with a Mormon candidate. After reading the whole darned thread, there are no good answers yet, so here goes.
The primary separation between members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) and the rest of mainstream Christian practice (as presently constituted) is that the LDS believe that God continues to operate through prophets as He did throughout the Old and New Testaments, and that revelation give through those prophets constitute holy writ as well.
There have been some passing references in this thread to this fact. One important thing to note is that this revelation may not contradict revelation from past prophets — in other words, the Bible is not overridden, and in fact remains a central text of the LDS faith. Other texts, from prophets of the past in other parts of the world (Book of Mormon) or modern prophecy, are incorporated in the scriptural canon.
Because these views diverge from both the idea that the need for prophets ended arbitrarily at the death of the last apostle (in the Protestant view) or that revelation has followed the succession of the Popes (or Patriatrchs) (in the Catholic and Orthodox views), most of these sects consider LDS beliefs to be invalid, and sometimes threatening.
In the same vein, LDS beliefs do not incorporate various dogmas deriving from various councils (Diet of Worms, Nicea) in which contentious doctrines were decided by debate and vote, and often come to the table with substantially different interpretations on the same Biblical passages — valid all the same, but challenging long-held tenets.
For this reason, most Christian sects declare that LDS teachings apply to a different Christ, and are not therefore ecumenically acceptable. (This makes little sense to me, by the way). These legitimate differences, in combination with a wild hodgepodge of lies, smears, and underhanded misstatements of LDS doctrine and history, have long motivated strong sectarian persecution from a number of individuals and congregations at various times and locations, though most of that has died down.
At the peak of this strife, however, both force majeure and legal harassment of the LDS church were common, and genocidal tendencies were not unknown. By comparison, simple lack of support for a Mormon candidate in the South and some silly statements on the part of Gov. Huckabee are small potatoes, and I think that folks, for the most part, are too sensible to decide this election in a manner inconsistent with the Constitution under which we live.
Prufrock on August 25, 2008 at 11:49 AM
Pick a woman.
mylegsareswollen on August 25, 2008 at 11:50 AM
A plurality of the posters in this thread would disagree with you.
fossten on August 25, 2008 at 11:51 AM
highhopes: I stacked my gender preference with qualifiers. Obviously the wrong woman would be as bad as the wrong man. E.g., Kay Bailey Hutchison (sp?), an establishment fossil.
Anyway, I’ll leave the electoral analysis to others more qualified. I‘ll just ask this: if you were John McCain, why on earth would you want on your ticket a man who allowed himself to get kicked all over the map by that clown Mike Huckabee? Is Joe Biden going to be any easier? Mitt Romney is a giant dud, and the personification of frustration for fighting conservatives everywhere. By the last debate, when Romney couldn’t rise to the defense of his own political manhood, couldn’t muster more than averted glances and mushy responses to McCain and Huckabee, I was ready to puke. We need a righteous fighter. Romney aint him.
rrpjr on August 25, 2008 at 11:51 AM
Matt Blunt of Missouri — too young and inexperienced.
indythinker on August 25, 2008 at 11:51 AM
That’s a good way to get burned. ;-)
Marking Time on August 25, 2008 at 11:52 AM
+1
a capella on August 25, 2008 at 11:52 AM
If McCain picked a relatively unknown young male governor who nonetheless had a strong energizing effect on a good part of his base, the last two things you would expect to hear are “identity politics” or “gimmick”.
Palin would not be a gimmick. The fact that she is a woman does not sink her choice to the level of identity politics. The fact that such political issues play to her advantage is nothing to avoid. Remember–Obama.
texette on August 25, 2008 at 11:53 AM
All these silly reasons for not wanting Romney as VP just make no sense.
Will he be a good attack dog against the One? Already has been much more forceful than McCain himself.
Will he bring vigor and passion and organization and money to the Campaign? Most Assuredly!
Will his deny Obama Colorado, Michigan and Nevada? Smart Money says yes.
Will he be a good and competent Vice President? No reason not to thing so. The man has been successful at every thing he has ever done.
All of these so-called reasons for not wanting Romney have nothing to do with his ability to strengthen the ticket and the country.
Elizabetty on August 25, 2008 at 11:53 AM
Guiliani is pro-choice and his messy personal life (along with McCain’s decades ago divorce) would give the Dems ammo to run on a “family values” platform. (Excluding OBama’s half-brother living in the hut, of course.).
Biden is going to be in the “how does a Catholic support abortion” fix, there’s no reason to have this issue with the twice-divorced Guiliani, too.
Wethal on August 25, 2008 at 11:54 AM
Mitt! is strong and my 1st choice. Is there someone else better? Maybe. Except, cream rises to the top, even in politics. Exceptional political skills would have been noticed already. Wise guys say Obama has the best political gifts of our lifetime. So is there some strong alternative to Mitt! for VP? I think of World Series baseball. Is there some pitcher you can bring up from Triple-A ball to smoke the other team? I guess it’s possible. Probably not though.
Paul-Cincy on August 25, 2008 at 11:54 AM
He also has a couple problems, most notable of which are his flip-flops on abortion rights & his RomneyCare plan.
LFRGary on August 25, 2008 at 11:54 AM
Thacker: I see you have started the Huckabee attack plan against Romney. No, you don’t mention religion, you instead bring up a bunch of stuff that isn’t true to attack Mitt.
Gay marriage: That’s the issue that brought Mitt early attention–for his fight against it. There is no question no one else has fought as hard against gay marriage being legalized than Mitt. He singlehandedly kept Massachusetts from inflicting gay marriage on the rest of the country, like California has now done. If you think Romney supports gay marriage, you are completely and utterly out of your mind–just check his record on it during his term as governor.
Your other attack was on the health care plan. Remember, it was designed by the Heritage group–a conservative think tank! And Romney has always said his plan is for Massachusetts–not necessarily applicable to any other state. The Dem state house has taken an axe to it as well.
Abortion? Well, he’s admitted he was wrong, and he even explained when, where and why he made the decision. It’s telling you, Thacker, refer to a 2002 speech instead of anything more recent–because that was before the change. Yes, you anti-Romney types pay lip service to converting people to pro-life–as long as they aren’t Romney. We can’t let Romney convert! Burn the heretic!
In short, your opposition is pretty much like your shilling for Russia–thin and wildly off base.
Vanceone on August 25, 2008 at 11:55 AM
No I want to know why the worst tech CEO of all time is around the McCain campaign. Carly is the worst gender pander I have ever seen. You have an absolute failure as a CEO stumping for McCain, for what? To get women voters? Please – I am so sick of this crap, stop pandering to women.
And yes HP doesn’t look that bad now because they have a new CEO!
I am the kind of person wanting to know why Ed thinks the worst tech CEO of all time gives McCain economic cred! Give me a freakin break!
Poptech on August 25, 2008 at 11:56 AM
second look at Romney?
aso on August 25, 2008 at 11:59 AM
I’ve been a big Romney guy since Fred dropped out and he would be ideal if for no other reason than the economy.
Nobody can touch this guy on his business record and Bidens “soak the rich” crap would be demolished in a debate.
He is easily the most telegenic and appealing candidate in a general election ( it matters),and has the Reagan quality of seeming to be comfortable in his own skin.
It also will present this election as a “stark choice”-always a winner for Republicans against extreme liberals.
jjshaka on August 25, 2008 at 11:59 AM
You are missing an important point. Romney is the only name being thrown around which generates any kind of excitement. The Palin and Pawlenty enthusiasts pale in comparison and the fringe brings in folks like Crist. Romney is the only consistent name that seems to connect with the GOP base.
highhopes on August 25, 2008 at 12:00 PM
Very interesting indeed. I certainly hope that McCain is smart enough to choose this brilliant, capable, and experienced man. And boy will the debates be fun if he does.
Buy Danish on August 25, 2008 at 12:01 PM
Prufrock – I somewhat disagree.
The main difference is Arianism, the denial that Jesus is the Son of God and part of the Trinity. Churches like Christian Science, LDS, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Seventh Day Adventists call themselves Christian but deny that Jesus is the Son of God. They deny the central belief of mainline Christianity in the single, triune God.
Mormons are polytheists who believe we all can become gods. They do pay special respect to Jesus, however. Fortunately, this is not a referendum on religions.
Romney knows that if he does anything in public life as a Mormon first and American second, it will forever hurt his church’s standing in America. Thus, he will play the part of a normal American Christian candidate. If Obama directs his surrogates to attack Romney on his religion, Romney can easily flip it back on Obama by saying Obama is a religious bigot and we need to stop all forms of bigotry, not just racism. Any such episode would help McCain.
indythinker on August 25, 2008 at 12:02 PM
Absolutely true. I did not say Giulinain would be a “wise” choice, only a “credentialed” choice.
My original point was Romney stands head and shoulders above everyone else in the Resume department, with the possible exception of Rudy Giuliani. I would argue that Mitt has Rudy beat there, but at least Rudy would make it a contest between the the two of them. No one else could.
Marking Time on August 25, 2008 at 12:02 PM
When Obama picked Biden as VP I knew it opened the door for McCain to pick Romney. He is an experienced speaker who can handle all the crap Biden will dish out and not be afraid to call him out on his lies or exaggerations. Plus he has mad economic skills. To all those who are critical of Romney’s religion, remember it was only 40 or so years ago when people were critical of Catholocism. If Obama can pick a Catholic running mate then why shouldn’t McCain pick a Mormon one?
justahassell on August 25, 2008 at 12:06 PM
Apparently, “pro-choice” means that everything up to, and including “partial-birth” abortions are just fine, should be paid for by the US Government, no one should even be allowed to try to talk a woman out of having one, and a girl who is too young to legally consent to sex in the first place should be allowed to have an abortion not only without her parents’ consent, but without anyone involved informing the authorities of the prima facie evidence that a crime has been committed.
Meanwhile, “pro-life” means that once an egg is fertilized, (even as a result of rape) anything that reduces its chances of implanting in the uterine wall, becoming an embryo, then a fetus, and being delivered as a healthy baby, is “murder”.
If you take a position anywhere between those two, the extremes will call you names like “fascist” and “baby-killer”.
The Monster on August 25, 2008 at 12:06 PM
About the Mass health law…
it has only been in place for a little over a year. A recent newspaper article says that visits to emergency rooms are way down and 100′s of thousands are now insured that weren’t insured. The program mandates that you have health insurance. There is no state run program! I was given the opportunity to buy from 4 different providers and a choice of levels through the deductibles I was willing to pay. The poor get insurance free but still have to pick a doctor and have a traditional relationship with a medical practice. This is how it should be. It may take some time to see the real results but isn’t it better to let the states experiment with models and evaluate the pluses and minuses.
sharonlr on August 25, 2008 at 12:08 PM
She’s raised a shitload of money for McCain and brilliantly managed the Victory ’08 committee. She is one of the biggest reasons why McCain is not going to be outspent in this race, despite the staggering amounts that Obama has raised. She won’t be the VP nominee, but I am very glad she has been part of this campaign. McCain would not be in a position to win if she hadn’t been.
rockmom on August 25, 2008 at 12:08 PM
How great would it be if McCain-Palin won, and then Palin ran for President and won?
Liberal heads would explode all across the land.
misterpeasea on August 25, 2008 at 12:11 PM
Sometimes the smartest choice is the obvious one, and getting too clever ain’t always smart…
Personally, I would love it if either Rudy or Big Fred were just a little more viable as VP candidates, but due to concerns about their respective political stances, scandals, and age, both of the fellas are too potentially damaging to a McCain ticket to bring on board. That leaves Mitt and a bunch of inexperienced and flawed candidates sitting on the board, and I just hope that McCain and the folks advising him are smart enough to know that taking the sure, strong thing in a running mate beats out playing fantasy games with lottery ticket options.
At this point, I think Mitt is the only logical choice, and it’s quite a darned, damned good one…
Evilmav2 on August 25, 2008 at 12:12 PM
As we’ve established before, Hot Air commenters in no way whatsoever represent a majority of voters. Not a majority of Republicans, and not even apparently a majority of conservatives. We were overwhelmingly in the tank for Fred during the primaries, and you see how far that got him. Don’t base any assumptions on what you see in the blogosphere. We’re the most informed, most active, and most opinionated people on both sides of the spectrum that you’re likely to find. We’re extremists compared to the general public, but we’re probably less than one percent of voters in the end.
aero on August 25, 2008 at 12:14 PM
.
Bingo.
Think_b4_speaking on August 25, 2008 at 12:14 PM
Jodi Rell has been a Governor three times as long as Sarah Palin, and in a state with a Democratic legislature. She may not be a household name, but she actually has done a lot of stuff. I would be far more comfortable with her on the national stage. Palin could be a female Dan Quayle.
Jodi Rell goes directly after the Hillary voters, without being a pander or a token or having a thin resume. She’s been Governor longer than Mitt Romney was Governor of Massachusetts, and is a lot more popular than Mitt ever was in Massachusetts. She is 62, not too young to make McCain look old, and not too old to make the whole ticket look old; and younger than Joe Biden. She doesn’t have a college degree. And she is a brest cancer survivor.
rockmom on August 25, 2008 at 12:17 PM
I think you are mistaken there, indy. Mormons will tell you that their First Article of Faith says: “We believe in God, the Eternal Father; and in his Son, Jesus Christ; and in the Holy Ghost”.
How does that, “…deny that Jesus is the Son of God”?
Marking Time on August 25, 2008 at 12:19 PM
MITT ! PLEASE ?!?!
pambi on August 25, 2008 at 12:19 PM
Sue Myrick and anyone else who ever served in the US House but not the Senate – not enough foreign policy experience.
Preview of Romney vs. Biden debate — Romney attacks Obama on inexperience, the Tony Rezko connection, big government, higher taxes, weakness on drilling, appeasement, and failure to support the surge. Biden says McCain is old. Advantage: McCain/Romney.
Romney vs. Biden debate subtext – Romney wins because he has better hair. (Half-joking)
indythinker on August 25, 2008 at 12:20 PM
Even though I consider myself an evangelical Christian, I don’t oppose a Romney pick because of his religion, rather, I oppose a Romney pick on the grounds that he is perceived as slimy and out of touch by my friends and acquaintances–many of whom consider themselves independents.
The attacks against McCain for being rich are effective. While I think he could weather them on his own, I also think that if he picks an uber-rich running mate like Romney, the charge will stick with him throughout the campaign.
Eukardios on August 25, 2008 at 12:22 PM
Start a thread on Palin as a potential pick and stand back or be blown away by the consistent enthusiasm. The “not enough experience” crowd doesn’t understand the intensity of her variegated appeal to discerning Republicans.
horatio on August 25, 2008 at 12:22 PM
At the Debate Biden could brag about having a high IQ and Mitt could brag about Marching WITH Martin Luther King.
sheesh… America is doomed.
Chakra Hammer on August 25, 2008 at 12:23 PM
What the hell has the repuiblican party come to- this endless theological debate is pointless. MORMONS- stop debating saint olaf and every other nimrod who has an axe to grind. EVANGELICALS- this is politics, not sunday school. NOBODY CARES ABOUT LDS “HERESIES” EXCEPT YOU. Case in point, name a single reputable conservative (besides your pastor) who loved your choice Huckabee. Anyone?
drballard on August 25, 2008 at 12:23 PM
We’re burning up a lot of brain cells over whether Romney is a good choice or not. Many are vetting him like he is running for President again. Romney would be running for VP, not POTUS. He won’t be implementing anything. His job, if he has one at all, will be to help set the right course on the economy, which he is more than capable of. He won’t be selecting judges or implementing HillaryCare. Thanks to Congress’ inability to do anything, even if he becomes President in ’12 or ’16, his main responsibility as with all Presidents will still be to keep America safe and growing. The rest is all politics as usual.
I just don’t share the angst…
Mr_Magoo on August 25, 2008 at 12:24 PM
On second thought, it’s not surprising that Romney polls so well in Michigan with black voters. His father, Governor George Romney, was an early advocate of civil rights.
Buy Danish on August 25, 2008 at 12:26 PM
highhopes: I can’t dispute it your contention of “base” enthusiasm for Romney, as perplexing as I find it (though I would suggest it’s a rather static and delimiting observation). But here’s a point you may be missing: Romney, with $200 million, couldn’t put away shoestring Huckabee, nor come up with the political skill or scrappiness to adjust to his attacks or fight back. Romney is a dud. He’s a loser. I’m not interested in losers. But that’s just me.
rrpjr on August 25, 2008 at 12:28 PM
Romney’s a “Life-Long hunter”, I don’t think that he would have the time to fix the economy, he would be out shooting varmints, he said he was a varmint hunter.
Chakra Hammer on August 25, 2008 at 12:29 PM
yea and Mitt marched with Martin Luther King.
Chakra Hammer on August 25, 2008 at 12:29 PM
The Case Against Romney:
1) Romney has 8 houses
2) Romney was a CEO and was responsible for a lot of layoffs
3) Romney looks too polished. Too elitist.
4) Romney is disliked by the media.
McCain doesn’t need a populist but he needs
a) someone who can relate to blue collar voters. i.e. Huckabee or Pawlenty
or
b) A southerner
or
c) Someone that will create a media sensation i.e. Crist
RothNRA on August 25, 2008 at 12:31 PM
That is true. But if McCain wins, we’re stuck running his VP when he’s done. And Romney is demonstrably not a winner as a POTUS candidate. McCain can probably still win with Romney on his ticket, but then we lose in 2012 or 2016 when McCain’s VP has to run against a vengeful Hillary, who won’t screw up again.
aero on August 25, 2008 at 12:33 PM
Did he? I was unaware of that fact.
Marking Time on August 25, 2008 at 12:33 PM
Jodi Rell is an excellent person, but, unfortunately, just not “exciting”. I don’t know what the variable is that accounts for charisma, but I just don’t see it in her.
Despite supporting Palin, I have to defend Mitt on something. I used to be pro-choice. I am now strongly pro-life. Life changed me. One of the major aims of the pro-life movement is to persuade those in error. We should welcome those who change their views to our own with open arms, not castigate them for not doing it sooner. Calling such people as Mitt “flip-floppers” on this issue is distasteful and counterproductive.
texette on August 25, 2008 at 12:35 PM
indythinker,
Sorry, you are incorrect in regards to LDS beliefs. We do believe that Jesus is the Son of God, but we also believe that the Godhead is composed of three separate beings–God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. We also believe that God the Father and Jesus Christ have glorified bodies of flesh and bone (immortal) instead of being formless. So in fact we reject the creed of Nicene.
We do believe that we all have the potential to become gods (with a small g) since we believe that we are God’s children literally created in His image but that is contingent on the Atonement of Christ and on our obeying His commandments. I don’t know about the other sects you mentioned.
Yes, most of the prejudice today towards Mormons is based on theological disputes, but also there are still hard feelings in the South because basically Mormons didn’t get along well with their neighbors in Missouri and Illinois for political and theological reasons during the mid-1800s.
Mormons in that time were anti-slavery and often clannish. They also started practicing polygamy which was frowned upon by most Christians. The Mormons would have countered that it was much more respectable than the prostitution and fornication that was pretty common in the “wild west.” They were expelled from both Missouri and Illinois and settled in the west where they wanted to be left alone to practice their religion. Mormons gave up polygamy around 1880 and this allowed Utah to become a state.
Anyway, that’s the short version. I hope that by choosing Romney, McCain will be able to heal the breach between LDS (who are overwhelmingly conservative Republicans) and evangelical conservatives. Politically, we’re on the same team!
I heard a rumor that when McCain announces his VP, he will have both Romney and Huckabee at his side. I’m not sure which will be his pick, but that would be a good move towards party unity.
drflykilla on August 25, 2008 at 12:35 PM
I don’t understand why so many people are against Romney. He fills the many gaps that McCain has. And, dare I say, this election is not ONLY about Pro-life. We seriously need to prioritize our issues: war, economy, tax reform, border security. McCain is economically weak. Romney fixes this.
Of course, we all need to acknowledge that McCain will pick whomever gets him the most votes, but this doesn’t mean that he will listen to his VP pick. After all, he is the Maverick.
Romney is pro-ANWR, pro-Gitmo, pro-torture, pro-border security. McCain is against all of these things. Do you really think that McCain will listen to Romney if he is pro-choice?
It makes voting sense to select the top two Primary candidates, and Mitt kicked Huck’s butt. This is not a single issue election, I pray that the pro-life mavericks don’t lose this election for us if Mitt is the choice.
cannonball on August 25, 2008 at 12:35 PM
I don’t mind Romney but he would every bit as a nevitive to to US as Biden is to the Dems with all the flip-flops and BS’ing that he has done..
1. Life-Long Hunter
2. Marching with Martin Luther King
3. Pro-Choice Pro-life (for Choice before he was against it)
4. illegal aliens working on his lawn
there more these are just off the top of my head.
Chakra Hammer on August 25, 2008 at 12:37 PM
So I wrote a big long comment. I couldn’t figure out how to make paragraphs and in trying I lost what I wrote so before I do that again. Help a newbie out and tell me how to make paragraphs.
petunia on August 25, 2008 at 12:41 PM
it’s Air America but a pretty accurate account.
(Seems they have problems with Mormons for some reason)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kCyAgVoHSc
here is Romney’s campaign spokesman trying to explain it..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5eKfC6TYjk
Chakra Hammer on August 25, 2008 at 12:44 PM
I cannot access YouTube at the moment.
So Mitt actually said that “he” marched with Martin Luther King?
Marking Time on August 25, 2008 at 12:46 PM
There’s a tradition amongst Mormons that you are to devote a couple of years to missions work after graduating high school and before starting college or your career.
I’m going to guess that if you were agnostic for 25 years, you were old enough at your conversion that the topic wouldn’t have been brought up. I don’t believe the missions thing is a requirement, but they do feel strongly about it.
BTW, isn’t strongly agnostic a contradiction in terms?
MarkTheGreat on August 25, 2008 at 12:47 PM
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