2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumMitt Romney’s ‘veepstakes’ begin
Phillip Rucker in Appleton, Wisc.
Washington Post, 3/31/12
Mitt Romneys advisers and top supporters have begun informally discussing potential vice presidential candidates and believe that the sooner he can put away the Republican nomination, the more flexibility he will have in picking his running mate.
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In short, the habitually cautious candidate is less likely to try to make a splash by picking a game-changing candidate and more likely to choose someone safe, whom he sees as competent and ready to be president.
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...early indications are that Romney will not repeat the error of 2008, when John McCain sought a dramatic choice but failed to run a thorough vetting process in picking Sarah Palin.
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Now, as Republicans continue coalescing around Romney Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (Wis.) endorsed him this week some are wondering whether his new backers might be appear on the ticket.
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Other rising stars would check certain boxes for Romney. New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is from a swing state and is Hispanic. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley could help soothe tensions with Romney across the traditional South. But like Rubio, they are relatively inexperienced.
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If he follows tradition, Romney will seriously consider eight to 10 candidates a short list that some said could also include Ryan, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Sen. John Thune (S.D.) and former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty and then whittle his list down to four or five who will undergo a rigorous vetting.
full: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mitt-romneys-veepstakes-begin/2012/03/30/gIQATWo8lS_singlePage.html
In fact, Rubio has said that he doesn't think he'll be the running mate.
Santorum has also expressed interest (this is a TYT video)
RandySF
(58,887 posts)He moved up the publication date on his book and hired people to do opposition research on himself.
HotRodTuna
(114 posts)Have to admit that was a pretty nice shot at Santorum on Leno.
grantcart
(53,061 posts)Anybody who has served as a Senator or a Representative often times has too many votes to account for.
Lawlbringer
(550 posts)about Ron Paul saying he'd trade in his delegates if Romney picked "Number 1 Son" Rand Paul for the VEEP spot?
Well, it may not be nonsense, but why would Mittens really care if he got Ron's delegates? Doesn't he only have like 50 or something?
Either way, either Paul would be a terrible choice (both because I hate them, that they would only draw in the crazies for support, and that their policies are both ignorant and pretty damn racist.)
jmowreader
(50,559 posts)Picking Rand and taking Paul's handful of delegates would eliminate the possibility the Paulbots would turn the GOP convention into even more of a circus than it's already going to be. That could be valuable in, say, October when people remember just how fucked the GOP convention was.
Cosmocat
(14,565 posts)Mittens is a lot like BO.
Same steady course approach to the campaign, and I get the same "no drama' VP type pick.
I agree with the poster who said it is likely a governor from a swing state, but I do think one of the hyped up young guy types, a guy like Rubio, might be the pick, too.
AlinPA
(15,071 posts)anti-immigrant-anti-gay base involved. Santorum, Newt, Huckabee, Perry or some other nut would fit for their ticket.
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)will pick a woman. Just read Feb Vanity Fair, and the story about
how he went to visit his former babysitter who was pregnant and
wanted to keep her child. He tried to force his Mormon beliefs
on her and threatened excommunication if she didn't give the baby
up for adoption. The man has NO respect for women
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)lost his own state..
alp227
(32,027 posts)and Santorum's lead in state polls has been crumbling http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/pa/pennsylvania_republican_presidential_primary-1594.html
alp227
(32,027 posts)I forgot about him. The CEO ticket right there.
KharmaTrain
(31,706 posts)Millard has to win two races here if he wants to win. The first is winning the "soul" of his inept and dysfunctional party. He needs them to show up and vote for him if he stands any chance to beat President Obama. Like Gramps McCain, Mittens is an awful candidate who as Bill Mahrer says "paint watches him dry". McCain tried to double down with what he thought would be a "perky" choice that turned into a disaster...Willard's people are certainly not interested in making that mistake again. They don't want anyone who outshines or outshouts their milqtoast candidate. Thus why there's no say he'd pick Noooot or Rectorum.
His dilemma is to find a "Conservative" who can cover his ass but not "go rogue" on him. He doesn't need someone from a crimson red state...there's no way those states go for the "colored" fella. There's slim pickings in the "frontline" states where McDonnell, Rubio and Portman don't assure those states can or will be won. Thus look for Willard to go with a "safe" hate radio darling...someone who is as bland as he is but has strong bona-fides among the great unhinged. Since Rmoney will be running on his budget I could see him picking Ryan to play point man/hatchet man on the economy while Millard vascilates like a fan.
DCBob
(24,689 posts)The simple-minded GOPers wont be able to resist... they will think she can fix all their problems. She might help but it wont be near enough.
She'd hurt them with the base more than she'd help draw Hispanics or women.
This is going to be a replay of 2008, where the GOP picked a young, attractive evangelical to pair up with the guy who traded in his first wife for a beer distributor. (Okay, so they got someone whose first act would have been to put a refrigerator on the porch at the Naval Observatory, but at least they tried.) This time around, they will have to pick a teabagger to run with Etch-a-Sketch.
DCBob
(24,689 posts)than making the teabaggers happy.
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)just because they are women when Obama beat Hillary? I certainly wouldn't. And since there aren't any
Republican men (or most women for that matter) who are known for being champions of women's causes, how
do they close the gap?
Even if he picked a Republican woman who was pro choice, for example, that would totally piss off the
wingnuts.
I would bet a lot of money that Romney would NEVER EVER EVER pick a woman anyway.
So, that leaves a Hispanic. A male Hispanic.
DCBob
(24,689 posts)You are right that women dont necessariy vote for women... but the GOPers are often shallow and simple-minded about things like that just assume they would.. given they all wear dresses and high-heels etc.
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)"not now anyway" (presumptuous, isn't it)
Course that doesn't mean he couldn't be brow-beaten into it, I suppose.
If he does say no, it tells me he's smarter that the rest....it doesn't take
a rocket scientist to see Obama will most likely win. Why jump on a losing bandwagon?
graham4anything
(11,464 posts)last person Mitt will take if he doesn't want another vapid Sarah would be Rubio and Rubio cannot guarantee Florida.
after all, Rudio offers nothing in the way of votes, and the only reason McCain took Sarah was thinking she and Hillary both were female.
I know, Mitt should take John Edwards or Joe Lieberman. Who more exemplifies the corrupt republicans than John Edwards or Lieberman does.
there is always Jeb.