The Republican Vice-Presidential Spectulation Thread.

[A-Bob]

I wish Rice was pro-life or Romneys pro-life record was more acceptable to the base. Romney/Rice would be difficult for Obama to defeat, though I doubt she would accept.

I wish Martinez had more time under her belt, but she's my top pick. Will do well with minorities, women, the west, and Tea Party, categories Mitt has to improve on. The pro's outweigh the con's.

Rice wants to be VP. She's jumped started her ID this past year and is fueling the speculation that she should be a choice. I think she'd be good. Even though I'm pro-life and don't find Romney acceptable there, I would be very happy with her on the ticket. She's competent, a leader, woman, minority, experienced in foreign affairs, popular. She doesn't have a family though, but I don't think that would hurt her with the base.

I also love Martinez, if only she was elected in 08 or this were her second term. Still, she seems very clear she doesn't want it, and not just a politician's answers, she seems very sincere in her "no". Eh, 2016 woo

[milhouse24]

I'm starting to think Tim Pawlenty might be chosen.

If I may ask, what exactly do you think he brings to the ticket?

Normalcy. He's not a crazy pick, it shows Romney is serious. Look at the last 3 defeated vp candidates: Palin, Edwards, and Lieberman. They were all picked to win, not really to help govern.

Pawlenty is conservative enough to please the base, but appealing to independents. He could help in MN, WI, possibly MI.

No he would not help in Minnesota, where no ones cares about him anymore except people who really hate him, or in Wisconsin and Michigan, where no one cares about him period, and probably no one knows who he is except a few who might remember him from his trainwreck of a Presidential campaign and silly movie trailer ads.

However he is a "safe" and non-controversial choice.

T-Paw is the safest choice who has already been nationally "vetted" by the media since his presidential run, so there won't be any "shocking scandals" left to uncover, which may doom portman, thune, or rubio. 

But T-Paw will absolutely not help in any way or with any votes.  If he goes super-christian with the media, he might be able to help Romney's base supporters. 

But the good thing is he will "do no harm" 

[I Can't Get That Sound You Make, Out Of My Head]

Look at Condi:

Pros:

* Foreign policy experience
* Well-known
* Minority
* Woman
* Highly qualified and vetted
* Not a politician

Cons:

* Links to Bush administration - while I think it'll be irrelevant in most circumstances, being the SOS and the NSA could lead to scandals on Iraq.
* Pro-choice
* Not a politician
* Black woman - though the states where this matters probably will vote Romney anyway.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Con: Pants on fire lying to get us into a $1 trillion war.

[Badger]

Look at Condi:

Pros:

* Foreign policy experience
* Well-known
* Minority
* Woman
* Highly qualified and vetted
* Not a politician

Cons:

* Links to Bush administration - while I think it'll be irrelevant in most circumstances, being the SOS and the NSA could lead to scandals on Iraq.
* Pro-choice
* Not a politician
* Black woman - though the states where this matters probably will vote Romney anyway.

Major con: Useless, bordering on detrimental, for any campaign wanting to focus on the economy as an issue. Picking someone who's background is entirely foriegn policy oriented when the economy strains to recover would strike voters as tone deaf.

[Badger]

The only reason I can see not to pick Rubio is he might overshadow/outshine Romney. As the last election showed, there is a different percieved gravitas between a first-term Senator and first term governor. Rubio gets a leg up over Martinez there. Don't know how she presents on camera and public speaking, but Rubio does so quite well indeed. He would likely pass the "voter comfort test".

Ironically, Palin's dismal performance may help him there. He'll initially be compared to Palin (statewide officeholder for only 2 years before tapped for Veep), and Rubio is at the opposite end of the spectrum in poise and speaking ability. The comparisons would only help elevate him.

[RogueBeaver]

Rubio doesn't want it. Rice doesn't either. I'm still predicting it will be Jindal or Ryan.

[LINCOLN REPUBLICAN]

Rubio is charismatic but too inexperienced.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

The only reason I can see not to pick Rubio is he might overshadow/outshine Romney. As the last election showed, there is a different percieved gravitas between a first-term Senator and first term governor. Rubio gets a leg up over Martinez there. Don't know how she presents on camera and public speaking, but Rubio does so quite well indeed. He would likely pass the "voter comfort test".

Ironically, Palin's dismal performance may help him there. He'll initially be compared to Palin (statewide officeholder for only 2 years before tapped for Veep), and Rubio is at the opposite end of the spectrum in poise and speaking ability. The comparisons would only help elevate him.

Martinez seems extremely authentic. She could look women in the eye and connect. She's no Sarah Palin. And I don't think she's a risk, either.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek3OSIQVYQE

You gotta admit--she's good. She's my choice for the 2020 Republican primaries.

[Fritz]

It has to be someone whose last name begins with the letter R like Romney.

Either Rubio, Ryan, or Rice.

[redcommander]

The only reason I can see not to pick Rubio is he might overshadow/outshine Romney. As the last election showed, there is a different percieved gravitas between a first-term Senator and first term governor. Rubio gets a leg up over Martinez there. Don't know how she presents on camera and public speaking, but Rubio does so quite well indeed. He would likely pass the "voter comfort test".

Ironically, Palin's dismal performance may help him there. He'll initially be compared to Palin (statewide officeholder for only 2 years before tapped for Veep), and Rubio is at the opposite end of the spectrum in poise and speaking ability. The comparisons would only help elevate him.

Martinez seems extremely authentic. She could look women in the eye and connect. She's no Sarah Palin. And I don't think she's a risk, either.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek3OSIQVYQE

You gotta admit--she's good. She's my choice for the 2020 Republican primaries.

She genuinely doesn't seem to want it though.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

It has to be someone whose last name begins with the letter R like Romney.

Either Rubio, Ryan, or Rice.

So that he can keep his big R? Maybe Cain will offer to change his name to Rain so that he can be a possibility.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

The only reason I can see not to pick Rubio is he might overshadow/outshine Romney. As the last election showed, there is a different percieved gravitas between a first-term Senator and first term governor. Rubio gets a leg up over Martinez there. Don't know how she presents on camera and public speaking, but Rubio does so quite well indeed. He would likely pass the "voter comfort test".

Ironically, Palin's dismal performance may help him there. He'll initially be compared to Palin (statewide officeholder for only 2 years before tapped for Veep), and Rubio is at the opposite end of the spectrum in poise and speaking ability. The comparisons would only help elevate him.

Martinez seems extremely authentic. She could look women in the eye and connect. She's no Sarah Palin. And I don't think she's a risk, either.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek3OSIQVYQE

You gotta admit--she's good. She's my choice for the 2020 Republican primaries.

She genuinely doesn't seem to want it though.

Well, everyone knows she'd quit part way through her term.

[Jayhawker]

Question: Does anyone know just how pro-choice Rice is?

I'm thinking, if she's solidly pro-choice, Roe v Wade is good, I think that'll be a very difficult sell to the base that Romney needs to turn out. However, if she said "I'm personally pro-choice, and believe that decision should be made at the state, not federal level" could possibly make things better. Meh?

[HagridOfTheDeep]

I was under the impression that she thinks Roe v. Wade struck an okay balance but was totally okay with Bush's abortion policies because it was definitely a terrible thing that really had to be discouraged. Sort of seemed like a more libertarian approach to it.

[Oakvale]

Rice is single and never married, which shouldn't matter, but would, obviously. As with Elena Kagan, people are going to unfairly assume she's a lesbian.

[retromike22]

On the scale of 1 to 10, how grumpy would the conservatives get if Romney picked someone who was pro-choice?

[RogueBeaver]

On the scale of 1 to 10, how grumpy would the conservatives get if Romney picked someone who was pro-choice?

12. Romney has said pro-choicers are not even being considered.

[A dog on every car, a car in every elevator]

On the scale of 1 to 10, how grumpy would the conservatives get if Romney picked someone who was pro-choice?

12. Romney has said pro-choicers are not even being considered.

That's the first thing I've read that makes me think Romney's going to pick a pro-choice running mate.

[GLPman]

I don't think Rice is completely out of consideration, but it would really surprise me if she did end up as the pick.

[Badger]

Rubio doesn't want it.

Are you kidding? On what possible basis do you make that leap of faith?

[Former Speaker Superique]

Condolezza Rice looks the best option for me, she would teach Romeny a little bit of foreign politics

Paul Ryan would teach Romney how to balance a budget and how to cut healthcare expenditures

Rubio would make Romney looks more acceptable to latin-americans

Palin would destroy him So would Gingrich, Santorum or Perry

I don´t know much about Chris Christie but he has a nice name =P

Portman looks a serious guy and he would destroy Biden in the debate.

And the VP Nomination goes too....

Herman Cain!

He would teach Romney how to sell some Pizzas in case he lost the election!

[Fargobison]

Rice would be a bold choice, CNN had a poll that gave her something like an 80 percent favorable rating among Republicans so maybe the base would accept her or maybe they just don't completely understand her stance on abortion.

[BushKenya]

Moderators, it would probably be a good idea to sticky this thread until the RNC Convention in late August.

[Mr. Morden]

Moderators, it would probably be a good idea to sticky this thread until the RNC Convention in late August.

I don't know.  Romney's VP selection is going to be a hot topic here for the next four months.  People are going to want to talk about it enough, that I'm not sure it makes sense to confine discussion to one thread.

Once there are actual leaks from the Romney campaign and we have something to go on other than speculation though, then it would probably make sense to have a "VP rumors" thread like this one from four years ago:

http://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=81522.0

But it'll probably be some time before we're ready for that.