If Romney Chooses A Female VP

[Odysseus]

Who would it be? I been hearing rumors it will be Meg Whitman. if he does would be be Sarah Palin 2.0?

HAHAHAHA OH GOD!

Could you imagine that? Mitt Romney picking Meg freaking Whitman as his VP candidate? Good god, I didn't think it was possible to top Rick Perry or Herman Cain's campaigns, but that could probably do it.

[Diabolical Minds Think Alike]

Mitt should go with Christine. She'd be everything his campaign needs. Bright, telegenic, and attractive.

Batsh*t crazy, unelectable, polarizing, gaffe-prone...

She's basically the offspring of Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann.

Wait, Republicans don't believe in homosexual reproduction.

To be fair nobody really does.

I'm gonna start a religion centered around the belief that homosexuals can reproduce.

[Old Europe]

Mitt should go with Christine. She'd be everything his campaign needs. Bright, telegenic, and attractive.

WTF?

[politicus]

Kay Bailey Hutchison? Pro-choice, but a Southerner. Lots of experience, but maybe too old.

KBH is not pro-choice. I'll never understand where this misconception developed.

I am sorry if you are correct. But it is a quite widespread assumption. She is a moderate on abortion (by Republican standards) anyway and that will in itself be enough for a lot of Social Conservatives to dislike her.
She is apparently against overturning Roe vs. Wade.
http://www.texastribune.org/texas-politics/2010-texas-governors-race/kay-bailey-hutchison-struggles-with-abortion-issue/
Which is of course not the same as being pro-choice, because you could also forbid abortion via an amendment.
Do you have a good link to her (current) stand on abortion?

[So the Heroes Fall]

It won't happen. Even if any good choices existed, Romney doesn't want to have to spend the first week after selecting a running mate just explaining over and over again why he didn't pick another Sarah Palin, which is what he'd have to explain with any female running mate regardless of how similar to Palin she actually was.

Nikki Haley? Young, charismatic, a minority. She's said she wouldn't do it, but the cardinal rule of running for Vice President is to act like you're not running for VP.

And she's about to be indicted.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

I don't know though... the benefits of a Martinez pick could outweigh the short-term explanation-making.

The other day, I saw a clip of Martinez's closing statement from a New Mexico debate. She talked about education and children, and boy, was it pretty moving. She connects with people in a way that's way more authentic than Palin's hick crap. I think Martinez has a lot more potential than Palin ever did. And I think that trait will become apparent fast enough to halt most of the Palin comparisons.

[IDS Speaker Ben Kenobi]

WTF?

You don't think she's shiny?

[Rockefeller]

Governors are a bad choice for Mitt.  They're unreheresed and too unpredictable.  He needs to go with a Washingtonian, some one who the press already has opinions of, that way they can't tear her down like they did Palin in 2008.

The best choices for Romney would be KBH or Condi Rice.

Neither one of these women are particularly conservative, but the GOP doesn't need a conservative on the ticket--the fact that Obama is up for reelection will be enough to ensure high Republican turn-out. 

[Tender Branson]

Brewer, Janice.

[Emperor SJoyce]

It won't happen. Even if any good choices existed, Romney doesn't want to have to spend the first week after selecting a running mate just explaining over and over again why he didn't pick another Sarah Palin, which is what he'd have to explain with any female running mate regardless of how similar to Palin she actually was.

Nikki Haley? Young, charismatic, a minority. She's said she wouldn't do it, but the cardinal rule of running for Vice President is to act like you're not running for VP.

And she's about to be indicted.

I trust the New York Times to have a high standard of journalism, more so than I trust a blog, even one called the Palmetto Public Record. In other words, no, she's not being indicted, no matter what Twitter said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/10/us/politics/false-nikki-haley-twitter-report-spreads-fast.html?pagewanted=all

[Senator Snowstalker]

Brewer, Janice.

Obama getting 75% of the Hispanic vote would not be out of the realm of possibility.

[Frodo]

I don't know though... the benefits of a Martinez pick could outweigh the short-term explanation-making.

The other day, I saw a clip of Martinez's closing statement from a New Mexico debate. She talked about education and children, and boy, was it pretty moving. She connects with people in a way that's way more authentic than Palin's hick crap. I think Martinez has a lot more potential than Palin ever did. And I think that trait will become apparent fast enough to halt most of the Palin comparisons.

It's too bad she's only a governor.  And then only in her first term.  She could be very formidable in 2016 or 2020 though if and when she decides to run for the GOP nomination.    

[IDS Speaker Ben Kenobi]

GOP doesn't need a conservative on the ticket

That's because they don't need conservative votes to beat Obama.

[shua]

Kay Bailey Hutchison? Pro-choice, but a Southerner. Lots of experience, but maybe too old.

KBH is not pro-choice. I'll never understand where this misconception developed.

She's called herself pro-choice in the past, and her most recent statements on the issue are incoherent.  However, she does have a pro-life voting record.

[ChairmanSanchez]

Cathy Morris Rodgers or Susanna Martinez.

[rbt48]

KBH would be great if she were 8 to 10 years younger.  She would be 69 when the election came around.  I think that Mitt needs someone younger if he is going to make much of a dent among the under 30 voters. 

Martinez would be sure to help among Hispanics, but in terms of international affairs, she would be of zero help.  She could help carry NM and perhaps CO.

Kelly Ayotte would help win New Hampshire which could get Romney to 270.  But except maybe for Maine, she wouldn't bring in any other northeastern states (though she might help in NJ and PA).  She would be a plus with the under 30 voters.I don't think the addition of Cathy McMorris Rodgers would be able to tip Washington to Romney.

I can't think of any other female Republicans who would be worthy of consideration for VP.  On balance, my choice would be Kelly Ayotte based on her experience as a state AG and US Senator, youth, and ability to bring home New Hampshire.

[politicus]

KBH would be great if she were 8 to 10 years younger.  She would be 69 when the election came around.  I think that Mitt needs someone younger if he is going to make much of a dent among the under 30 voters. 

Martinez would be sure to help among Hispanics, but in terms of international affairs, she would be of zero help.  She could help carry NM and perhaps CO.

Kelly Ayotte would help win New Hampshire which could get Romney to 270.  But except maybe for Maine, she wouldn't bring in any other northeastern states (though she might help in NJ and PA).  She would be a plus with the under 30 voters.I don't think the addition of Cathy McMorris Rodgers would be able to tip Washington to Romney.

I can't think of any other female Republicans who would be worthy of consideration for VP.  On balance, my choice would be Kelly Ayotte based on her experience as a state AG and US Senator, youth, and ability to bring home New Hampshire.

This idea that certain VP candidates can help in certain states almost never seems to have worked in the last 40 years. I think it is more a matter of choosing someone who could make a positive allround contribution.

[Mr. Morden]

Kay Bailey Hutchison? Pro-choice, but a Southerner. Lots of experience, but maybe too old.

KBH is not pro-choice. I'll never understand where this misconception developed.

She's called herself pro-choice in the past, and her most recent statements on the issue are incoherent.  However, she does have a pro-life voting record.

A "pro-life voting record" just means that you vote for various restrictions on abortion.  You can think that abortion should basically be legal, but also support various restrictions on it, like parental consent for minors and banning partial birth abortion.  I'd still call someone like that "pro-choice", because they still think that abortion should basically be legal.

The question of whether abortion should be legal or not in the generic case is something which can't be reflected in one's voting record, because Roe vs. Wade means that Congress is unable to weigh in on it.

[shua]

Kay Bailey Hutchison? Pro-choice, but a Southerner. Lots of experience, but maybe too old.

KBH is not pro-choice. I'll never understand where this misconception developed.

She's called herself pro-choice in the past, and her most recent statements on the issue are incoherent.  However, she does have a pro-life voting record.

A "pro-life voting record" just means that you vote for various restrictions on abortion.  You can think that abortion should basically be legal, but also support various restrictions on it, like parental consent for minors and banning partial birth abortion.  I'd still call someone like that "pro-choice", because they still think that abortion should basically be legal.

The question of whether abortion should be legal or not in the generic case is something which can't be reflected in one's voting record, because Roe vs. Wade means that Congress is unable to weigh in on it.

Well sure, but in practice only a few people in Congress who call themselves pro-choice vote with NARAL less than a majority of the time.   
Meanwhile "pro-life" Harry Reid votes with NARAL consistently. I can't figure that one out.

[True Federalist]

Nikki Haley? Young, charismatic, a minority. She's said she wouldn't do it, but the cardinal rule of running for Vice President is to act like you're not running for VP.

And she's about to be indicted.

Doubtful.  I don't like Haley, but so far despite a lot of mudslinging, none has stuck, and I don't have any reason to think it will start to stick.  If anything, until there is some actual smoke to back up the allegations (and there hasn't been even that), these attacks are helping her politically, and she needs the help right now.

[IDS Speaker Ben Kenobi]

Who considers Harry Reid prolife? Not the National Right to Life folks. KBH is a pro abort.

[Jerseyrules]

Two words.  All will scream at me for them, but I could give a rats ass.  Joe.  Lieberman.

SecState: BRING BACK CONDI!

[Mr. Morden]

McMorris Rodgers is first in line to Boehner, so I don't think she wants to give her position up, so that probably leaves Blackburn as the only possibility from the House.

In what sense is Rodgers "first in line" to Boehner?

[So the Heroes Fall]

KBH is actually a good example of how silly and restrictive the terms "pro-choice" and "pro-life" and trying to fit every person into one of those categories is.

Whatever the case, someone who lost a primary to Rick Perry shouldn't warrant a mention at all.

[IDS Speaker Ben Kenobi]

This is Texas, remember. She's a pro-abort. Same with Perry FWIW.

Had Perry been as prolife as Cain, this nomination would have been very, very different.