Possible GOP vice presidents

[Oz]

Huckabee as VP may scare off some moderate democrats and independents.

That would definitely scare me away. I would consider McCain against the right Democrat, but with Huckabee as VP? No way.

 

[Mahoney]

John Ensign from Nevada has been getting his name thrown around but it's hard to imagine McCain going with another western senator. Romney might, but I don't think he's going to have the choice to make.

 

[jagtrader]

Huckabee as VP may scare off some moderate democrats and independents.

That would definitely scare me away. I would consider McCain against the right Democrat, but with Huckabee as VP? No way.

Same here.

 

[Ben_Hecht]

Huckabee as VP may scare off some moderate democrats and independents.

That would definitely scare me away. I would consider McCain against the right Democrat, but with Huckabee as VP? No way.

Same here.

Unless they think HRC's going to self-destruct, that would be GOP insanity.

 

[kleeda]

Has to be someone to help win Florida and Ohio. Lieberman would help in Florida.

 

[Jones]

Seeing as McCain finds Romney personally loathsome, I'm going say no.

I would say Lindsey Graham, except for Graham's bachelorhood.

I was just talking to my wife about Giuliani. They like each other. Both perceived to be strong on security. Would get a lot of centrist voters.

I wish I had tapes of some of the conversations going on tonight.

Jonesy --
Please don't take this the wrong way but Rudy doesn't bring a single "centrist" voter with him. First of all, there ain't that many and secondly, if there were, he'd have finished further ahead of Ron ****ing Paul in NH.

Mr. *******, no worries. I like debate. And I'm just thinking out loud.

But I'm talking the general election here. For the Republicans to win, they need to capture a good chunk of the middle -- so let's say we're trying to manufacture a ticket that appeals to the base as well as the center. Do we assume that McCain takes care of the center and he picks a VP who will bring out the church vote, like Huckabee? I think the risk there is -- as we've seen on this thread -- too many in the middle are turned off by the guy who believes men rode dinosaurs and flock to the Democrats.

So now we look at someone who will bring home the center -- McCain plus who? When they're not stealing votes from each other, I think McCain-Giuliani makes for a pretty cohesive team. The right will still come out, if only to stop either Hillary or Obama -- better McCain than either of them, they'll be thinking -- and maybe Giuliani brings in just enough of those middle votes to tip them over the side. He's eastern, he's more progressive, but he's still strong on the security issue, and he brings some of the economic stuff with him, too.

I don't know -- I've been wrong before, but I've also been right. I think a McCain-Giuliani ticket would be a tough one to beat.

And most important, McCain will pick someone he likes -- he's not going to pick (exclusively) out of expediency. He likes company, thrives on it, and will want to have a VP who he can shoot the **** with. He likes Giuliani a lot. I think he likes Huckabee just fine, too.

My feeling is, Huckabee would make for a happier convention for him. Giuliani would make for a stronger general election ticket.

 

[kleeda]

Seeing as McCain finds Romney personally loathsome, I'm going say no.

I would say Lindsey Graham, except for Graham's bachelorhood.

I was just talking to my wife about Giuliani. They like each other. Both perceived to be strong on security. Would get a lot of centrist voters.

I wish I had tapes of some of the conversations going on tonight.

Jonesy --
Please don't take this the wrong way but Rudy doesn't bring a single "centrist" voter with him. First of all, there ain't that many and secondly, if there were, he'd have finished further ahead of Ron ****ing Paul in NH.

Mr. *******, no worries. I like debate. And I'm just thinking out loud.

But I'm talking the general election here. For the Republicans to win, they need to capture a good chunk of the middle -- so let's say we're trying to manufacture a ticket that appeals to the base as well as the center. Do we assume that McCain takes care of the center and he picks a VP who will bring out the church vote, like Huckabee? I think the risk there is -- as we've seen on this thread -- too many in the middle are turned off by the guy who believes men rode dinosaurs and flock to the Democrats.

So now we look at someone who will bring home the center -- McCain plus who? When they're not stealing votes from each other, I think McCain-Giuliani makes for a pretty cohesive team. The right will still come out, if only to stop either Hillary or Obama -- better McCain than either of them, they'll be thinking -- and maybe Giuliani brings in just enough of those middle votes to tip them over the side. He's eastern, he's more progressive, but he's still strong on the security issue, and he brings some of the economic stuff with him, too.

I don't know -- I've been wrong before, but I've also been right. I think a McCain-Giuliani ticket would be a tough one to beat.

And most important, McCain will pick someone he likes -- he's not going to pick (exclusively) out of expediency. He likes company, thrives on it, and will want to have a VP who he can shoot the **** with. He likes Giuliani a lot. I think he likes Huckabee just fine, too.

My feeling is, Huckabee would make for a happier convention for him. Giuliani would make for a stronger general election ticket.

Not to Jack your thread with Fenian here, but I think the GOP is finally backed into a corner with the religious faction. They stay home and the GOP can't win. Giuliani and McCain I believe means many stay home.

 

[Cape_Fear]

A McCain-Giuliani ticket really runs the risk of pissing off the base and getting a third party conservative in the race (I don't know who fits that bill at this point, but it is something to think about).

 

[zeke12]

If it's McCain-G-Money, Ron Paul's running as a Libertarian and sinking those ****ers before they make one speech.

He'd take 20 points of that ticket.

 

[kleeda]

A McCain-Giuliani ticket really runs the risk of pissing off the base and getting a third party conservative in the race (I don't know who fits that bill at this point, but it is something to think about).

This could be the year a third party helps the GOP. It certainly won't help the third party.

 

[Jones]

I don't disagree. I just think you have to consider who will be running on the other side: Clinton or Obama. I'm pretty sure the base will be motivated to vote, if only to keep either of them out of the White House.

Either way, I think the VP is probably more important in an election like this -- it will be close, and it will be ugly on occasion, and both parties are divided within themselves, let alone against each other, and Cheney has changed the role of the office perhaps forever -- than just about any other. You could write 100,000 words just on the making of that choice.

 

[zeke12]

For McCain, VP is a huge choice, because Emperor Cheney made the office something completely different and McCain is 437 years old.

 

[kleeda]

I don't disagree. I just think you have to consider who will be running on the other side: Clinton or Obama. I'm pretty sure the base will be motivated to vote, if only to keep either of them out of the White House.

Either way, I think the VP is probably more important in an election like this -- it will be close, and it will be ugly on occasion, and both parties are divided within themselves, let alone against each other, and Cheney has changed the role of the office perhaps forever -- than just about any other. You could write 100,000 words just on the making of that choice.

The choices will be important, yes, but I'm not sure the GOP base will be nearly as motivated to defeat Obama as they will Clinton. What kind of negatives does Obama run with registerd Republicans? I honestly don't know. I know the answer on Clinton.

 

[beefncheddar]

Having seen what the last third-party candidate did (cost one party the election), I've got a hard time believing there will be any kind of third-party candidate of note this time around.

And, while the Jesus brigade won't be happy about it, they'll vote GOP simply to keep Clinton or Obama out of the White House. They know that voting third-party is the same as voting Democrat.

 

[zeke12]

Having seen what the last third-party candidate did (cost one party the election), I've got a hard time believing there will be any kind of third-party candidate of note this time around.

And, while the Jesus brigade won't be happy about it, they'll vote GOP simply to keep Clinton or Obama out of the White House. They know that voting third-party is the same as voting Democrat.

If Paul goes, he takes his present five percent with him. They don't give a ****. And if McCain and Giuliani are the GOP ticket, he'd pull a lot of the fundies.

It's all up to him.

 

[beefncheddar]

If Paul goes, he takes his present five percent with him. They don't give a ****. And if McCain and Giuliani are the GOP ticket, he'd pull a lot of the fundies.

Oh, I agree he'd keep his 5. But I'm going to have a hard time believing anybody else is going to vote for him, knowing full well he's got no shot in hell.

Had Nader not happened and shown everyone the result of voting third-party, I might buy it. The cost, though, is now pretty well common knowledge.

 

[kleeda]

If the Democrats lose, what's the early line on excuses? Racism? Sexism? Ongoing electoral incompetence?

 

[deskslave]

The base doesn't really matter, unless they supremely **** it off and it goes for some third-party yahoo. What matters is the ones in the middle, same as always. And I really don't think you appeal to those guys by sending out Mr. 9/11. You'd basically have two candidates who feel that Bush was right on, and that ain't the message to be sending. And as others have said, Mayor Mc-9/11 won't take it anyway.

I've mentioned before that I think McCain takes Florida easy because of the senior connection. If he still feels it's in doubt, though, Crist or Martinez would sew it up.

Is there anyone in Ohio on either side who could cinch that state and have nationwide appeal?

 

[zeke12]

If Paul goes, he takes his present five percent with him. They don't give a ****. And if McCain and Giuliani are the GOP ticket, he'd pull a lot of the fundies.

Oh, I agree he'd keep his 5. But I'm going to have a hard time believing anybody else is going to vote for him, knowing full well he's got no shot in hell.

Had Nader not happened and shown everyone the result of voting third-party, I might buy it. The cost, though, is now pretty well common knowledge.

It was common knowledge (or at least CW) after Perot in 1992. Didn't stop the Nader folks in 2000.

And the GOP has created a lot of single-issue voters on immigration and abortion. They nominate McCain, who doesn't hate brown people enough, and Giuliani, who doesn't think life begins at conception, and then get a pro-life, anti-immigration third party candidate?

Like I said, he'd get 20 percent.
Maybe 10. But hell, his 5 is enough to cost them the election.

He goes out on his own, which he's got the coin to do, they are screwed. Whoever the GOP nominee is better get ready to kiss some serious ass.

 

[beefncheddar]

If the Democrats lose, what's the early line on excuses? Racism? Sexism? Ongoing electoral incompetence?

Cheating.