Bachmann/Petraeus vs. Obama/Biden

[redcommander]

Highly unlikely, but let's say that to make up for a lack of experience after winning the Republican nomination, Michele Bachmann chooses David Petraeus as her running mate. Unemployment falls to 8.7%. How does the election turn out?

[Senator Snowstalker]

On one hand, the GOP candidate isn't exactly strong. On the other hand, 8.7% is a pretty bad number, especially since now unemployment is barely higher than that. Petraeus would never accept the VP spot, but it's a major boost for Bachmann. I'd say a narrow Obama victory.

[Jayhawker]

Bachmann/Petraeus - Obama wins PV by about 2%, wins around 280 EV's

Petraeus/Bachmann - Petraeus wins PV by about 3%, wins around 290 EV's

[NHI]

Bachmann narrowly wins.

[MAINEiac4434]

Regardless of the unemployment numbers, regardless of Petraeus (not that he, under any circumstances, would join her on the ticket, or ask her to join him on the ticket), Obama would still absolutely annihilate any ticket with Michele Bachmann on it. The Republicans would have to be insane if they nominated her for either President or VP. With the amount of negative press, the high disapprovals, the easy attack ads and her stupid comments, Obama would be able to waltz to an epic victory unseen since Reagan.

Which is why I'm rooting for her in the GOP primaries.

Oh, here's how the map would look.

[mondale84]

Regardless of the unemployment numbers, regardless of Petraeus (not that he, under any circumstances, would join her on the ticket, or ask her to join him on the ticket), Obama would still absolutely annihilate any ticket with Michele Bachmann on it. The Republicans would have to be insane if they nominated her for either President or VP. With the amount of negative press, the high disapprovals, the easy attack ads and her stupid comments, Obama would be able to waltz to an epic victory unseen since Reagan.

Which is why I'm rooting for her in the GOP primaries.

Oh, here's how the map would look.

looks about right, except I'd give Bachmann West Virginia and Arkansas...

My rationale for agreeing that Bachmann would still lose is this: national security (barring some major crisis) is not going to be a big enough issue to make Petraeus's spot on the ticket help the Republican ticket that much, especially in the VP spot...the fact that Bachmann may seem poised and somewhat 'competent' (I'm trying to tread carefully here) on TV now is because she is being carefully managed so that she has a decent roll-out for the primaries...she has some good people running her campaign, no doubt...

...BUT this fact remains: she's a NUT...whether she can construct grammatically-correct English sentences (in contrast to Palin) is beside the point...her nutty statements (past and, I'm sure, future) will sink her considerably...

[asexual trans victimologist]

Regardless of the unemployment numbers, regardless of Petraeus (not that he, under any circumstances, would join her on the ticket, or ask her to join him on the ticket), Obama would still absolutely annihilate any ticket with Michele Bachmann on it. The Republicans would have to be insane if they nominated her for either President or VP. With the amount of negative press, the high disapprovals, the easy attack ads and her stupid comments, Obama would be able to waltz to an epic victory unseen since Reagan.

Which is why I'm rooting for her in the GOP primaries.

Oh, here's how the map would look.

Mostly agreed with your map, though I'd flip South Carolina and Tennessee to Obama and West Virginia and Texas to Bachmann (I'd caution our party about getting too gung-ho about Texas; I see it becoming the sort of fool's gold that Pennsylvania often is for the Republicans otherwise).