Romney VP list

[milhouse24]

Rubio, easily.  He's got the conservative cred and he's both flashy and poised.  I think he's too green, but he's the best to balance Romney.

I still think Romney is a sh**t candidate, tho.

Another person in office in less than two years? It was tried already, in 2008

Yeah, but the difference now is Obama and then Palin lowered the bar for experience on a presidential ticket. Palin's effect on lowering the bar was obviously and decidedly in a negative "not ready for prime time" manner. As a Veep selection also elected to statewide office only 2 years earlier, Rubio would naturally be compared in this respect to Palin. However, Rubio is Palin's polar opposite as far as being telegenic and polished. So not only would he face a lowered expectations bar (at first at least), he'd likely hurdle it by a mile.

Ah, using the old "lowering the bar" argument. 

How about we try the old "raising the bar" argument!!!  Like finding a president and VP who has both competency and experience.  If he's going with florida, he will go with Jeb, not Rubio.

I doubt Jeb would take a backseat to Mitt Romney, nor would it do Romney a lot of good to have the name Bush attached to the ticket. If we are going for a Floridian not named Rubio, why not look at Mel Martinez?

Brilliant, he can pick someone ineligible to be president!  you have to be a US citizen at birth to run for president.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Wouldn't Romney want someone with some foreign policy experience? Also, after Palin, someone who isn't an affirmative action pick?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

At SRLC today, Jindal devoted almost his entire speech to making the exact same fiscal points Romney made during the debate. Coincidence? Given that this fits into an 8-month-old pattern, no. He wants the slot and will get it. With Ryan telling Bob Costa he wants to play a prominent surrogacy role, they can be a very effective tag team on both economics and ER.

I don't think America is ready for a 40 year old Indian-Catholic to be vice-president with a Mormon president.
Mainly because he is too young and the Evangelicals will be mega pissed.

But with a "dirty Muslim Nazi Communist Atheist" in the White House, they will have to settle for Romney.

[RogueBeaver]

Nothing to do with hardware, only software.

[stegosaurus]

Rubio, easily.  He's got the conservative cred and he's both flashy and poised.  I think he's too green, but he's the best to balance Romney.

I still think Romney is a sh**t candidate, tho.

Another person in office in less than two years? It was tried already, in 2008

Yeah, but the difference now is Obama and then Palin lowered the bar for experience on a presidential ticket. Palin's effect on lowering the bar was obviously and decidedly in a negative "not ready for prime time" manner. As a Veep selection also elected to statewide office only 2 years earlier, Rubio would naturally be compared in this respect to Palin. However, Rubio is Palin's polar opposite as far as being telegenic and polished. So not only would he face a lowered expectations bar (at first at least), he'd likely hurdle it by a mile.

Ah, using the old "lowering the bar" argument. 

How about we try the old "raising the bar" argument!!!  Like finding a president and VP who has both competency and experience.  If he's going with florida, he will go with Jeb, not Rubio.

I doubt Jeb would take a backseat to Mitt Romney, nor would it do Romney a lot of good to have the name Bush attached to the ticket. If we are going for a Floridian not named Rubio, why not look at Mel Martinez?

Brilliant, he can pick someone ineligible to be president!  you have to be a US citizen at birth to run for president.

Ha! I feel a little silly, I wasn't aware that Martinez was actually born in Cuba.

[paul718]

Wouldn't Romney want someone with some foreign policy experience?

I thought about that.  But I think there is an opportunity to hammer home the domestic policy message.  The best place to look for foreign policy would be the Senate, but there's no one there.  I don't think Thune would be interested.  That's why I brought up Richard Burr earlier.

Also, after Palin, someone who isn't an affirmative action pick?

I agree. 

[tmthforu94]

1. Jim Demint - He is a solid conservative who was a backer of Mitt Romney in the 2008 campaign, so they have a good history together. He is a favorite among Tea Partiers and would help Romney solidify the South, possibly bringing North Carolina back to the GOP as well as helping us in Florida.

2. John Thune - A solid, attractive, conservative candidate. This ticket could beat any possible out there for "Most Presidential Looking". Thune could also play a part in some midwestern states, such as Iowa and Missouri. On the downside, Thune isn't close to a major air hub.

3. Susana Martinez - Choosing Martinez would certainly help Romney among Hispanics, improving his performance in Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and California. The problem with this is that I can't see her being a major factor in a state flipping, as Romney is already pretty well off in the West.

4. Marco Rubio - Certainly the favorite pick at this point. He'd likely bring Florida safely back to the GOP, could excite conservative voters wary of Romney, and wouldn't completely alienate moderates.

5. Michele Bachmann - At this point, I believe Bachmann will finish second to Romney for the GOP nomination. This ticket could be similar to an Obama/Clinton ticket of 2008, where the VP would be chosen for the sake of party unity. I would be wary of Bachmann becoming 'Palin 2.0', and I'm sure Romney's campaign is too.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

His only choice is probably someone I'd rather he not pick. I just hope it isn't some looney tea party ring leader.

[Ben Romney]

I think it will be Romney/Rubio or Romney/McDonnell

[redcommander]

Rick Perry would probably be on his short list considering he would balance out some of Romney's weaknesses.

[Mr. Morden]

Other sitting US Senators who haven't been discussed yet:

Bob Corker
John Cornyn
John Hoeven
Rob Portman
Pat Toomey

Discuss.

[RogueBeaver]

Corker: first-termer, doesn't bring much in terms of conservative cred given how much the TP hates him.

Cornyn: hated by the TP.

Hoeven: 20-month squish.

Portman: 20-monther, Bush ties.

Toomey: 20-monther, far too polarizing.

[milhouse24]

Rubio, easily.  He's got the conservative cred and he's both flashy and poised.  I think he's too green, but he's the best to balance Romney.

I still think Romney is a sh**t candidate, tho.

Another person in office in less than two years? It was tried already, in 2008

Yeah, but the difference now is Obama and then Palin lowered the bar for experience on a presidential ticket. Palin's effect on lowering the bar was obviously and decidedly in a negative "not ready for prime time" manner. As a Veep selection also elected to statewide office only 2 years earlier, Rubio would naturally be compared in this respect to Palin. However, Rubio is Palin's polar opposite as far as being telegenic and polished. So not only would he face a lowered expectations bar (at first at least), he'd likely hurdle it by a mile.

Ah, using the old "lowering the bar" argument. 

How about we try the old "raising the bar" argument!!!  Like finding a president and VP who has both competency and experience.  If he's going with florida, he will go with Jeb, not Rubio.

I doubt Jeb would take a backseat to Mitt Romney, nor would it do Romney a lot of good to have the name Bush attached to the ticket. If we are going for a Floridian not named Rubio, why not look at Mel Martinez?

Brilliant, he can pick someone ineligible to be president!  you have to be a US citizen at birth to run for president.

Ha! I feel a little silly, I wasn't aware that Martinez was actually born in Cuba.

Anyways, I think JEB is has more positives than outweight negatives.  Democrats would never vote for a Bush, but I think Indies will vote for a Bush, especially because they are smart enough to realize that Jeb and Dubya are 2 different people from 2 different states, and Jeb is considered the smarter one.

[tmthforu94]

Hoeven: 20-month squish.

He also was Governor of North Dakota for over 8 years, a state that has a pretty strong economy and the lowest unemployment rate in the nation. That'd be a good thing to campaign on. Hoeven has more experience than most of the candidates being discussed, IMO.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Hoeven doesn't strike me as the type who'd be comfortable as the partisan attack dog. Republicans seem to have a hard-on for Portman, though.

[stegosaurus]

Rubio, easily.  He's got the conservative cred and he's both flashy and poised.  I think he's too green, but he's the best to balance Romney.

I still think Romney is a sh**t candidate, tho.

Another person in office in less than two years? It was tried already, in 2008

Yeah, but the difference now is Obama and then Palin lowered the bar for experience on a presidential ticket. Palin's effect on lowering the bar was obviously and decidedly in a negative "not ready for prime time" manner. As a Veep selection also elected to statewide office only 2 years earlier, Rubio would naturally be compared in this respect to Palin. However, Rubio is Palin's polar opposite as far as being telegenic and polished. So not only would he face a lowered expectations bar (at first at least), he'd likely hurdle it by a mile.

Ah, using the old "lowering the bar" argument. 

How about we try the old "raising the bar" argument!!!  Like finding a president and VP who has both competency and experience.  If he's going with florida, he will go with Jeb, not Rubio.

I doubt Jeb would take a backseat to Mitt Romney, nor would it do Romney a lot of good to have the name Bush attached to the ticket. If we are going for a Floridian not named Rubio, why not look at Mel Martinez?

Brilliant, he can pick someone ineligible to be president!  you have to be a US citizen at birth to run for president.

Ha! I feel a little silly, I wasn't aware that Martinez was actually born in Cuba.

Anyways, I think JEB is has more positives than outweight negatives.  Democrats would never vote for a Bush, but I think Indies will vote for a Bush, especially because they are smart enough to realize that Jeb and Dubya are 2 different people from 2 different states, and Jeb is considered the smarter one.

To a well-informed citizen who is politically knowledgeable, this would be absolutely true. However, to suggest that a majority of independent voters fall into this category is to give the population a little too much credit. Besides that, if Romney doesn't go for a young guy with spread appeal, he'll probably want to pick someone with foreign policy credentials.

This isn't to say that Jeb wouldn't be a good pick on paper, but Romney knows that (assuming the economy remains stagnant and unemployment high) he has a clear path to victory and would best served by avoiding anything that could be politically stigmatic and risky. Then again, I could very well be making the common mistake of thinking that the VP candidate is more important than they often turnout to be. In fact, a VP candidate is usually only a major factor when they are hurting the campaign (McCain 2008).

[milhouse24]

Rubio, easily.  He's got the conservative cred and he's both flashy and poised.  I think he's too green, but he's the best to balance Romney.

I still think Romney is a sh**t candidate, tho.

Another person in office in less than two years? It was tried already, in 2008

Yeah, but the difference now is Obama and then Palin lowered the bar for experience on a presidential ticket. Palin's effect on lowering the bar was obviously and decidedly in a negative "not ready for prime time" manner. As a Veep selection also elected to statewide office only 2 years earlier, Rubio would naturally be compared in this respect to Palin. However, Rubio is Palin's polar opposite as far as being telegenic and polished. So not only would he face a lowered expectations bar (at first at least), he'd likely hurdle it by a mile.

Ah, using the old "lowering the bar" argument. 

How about we try the old "raising the bar" argument!!!  Like finding a president and VP who has both competency and experience.  If he's going with florida, he will go with Jeb, not Rubio.

I doubt Jeb would take a backseat to Mitt Romney, nor would it do Romney a lot of good to have the name Bush attached to the ticket. If we are going for a Floridian not named Rubio, why not look at Mel Martinez?

Brilliant, he can pick someone ineligible to be president!  you have to be a US citizen at birth to run for president.

Ha! I feel a little silly, I wasn't aware that Martinez was actually born in Cuba.

Anyways, I think JEB is has more positives than outweight negatives.  Democrats would never vote for a Bush, but I think Indies will vote for a Bush, especially because they are smart enough to realize that Jeb and Dubya are 2 different people from 2 different states, and Jeb is considered the smarter one.

To a well-informed citizen who is politically knowledgeable, this would be absolutely true. However, to suggest that a majority of independent voters fall into this category is to give the population a little too much credit. Besides that, if Romney doesn't go for a young guy with spread appeal, he'll probably want to pick someone with foreign policy credentials.

This isn't to say that Jeb wouldn't be a good pick on paper, but Romney knows that (assuming the economy remains stagnant and unemployment high) he has a clear path to victory and would best served by avoiding anything that could be politically stigmatic and risky. Then again, I could very well be making the common mistake of thinking that the VP candidate is more important than they often turnout to be. In fact, a VP candidate is usually only a major factor when they are hurting the campaign (McCain 2008).

I think polling in the swing states will determine whether Jeb is an asset or a hindrance.  Remember many people enthusiastically voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004, and he still has strong evangelical support.  Jeb's a smart thoroughbred, with lots of fundraising and experience, particularly on Central American/Latino issues.  I don't think any one cares about Iraq or Afganistan anymore other than that we should not be there anymore.  Its the economy stupid, and Romney needs to Double-Down on that issue.  John Kerry thought he had more foreign policy experience, and he got massacred on it.  I actually think there are a lot of specific things a VP can do to ensure a winning election (there are also a lot of things a VP can do to hurt the campaign, like Sarah Palin did).  Specifically, a VP can help by delivering a swing state like Florida and Ohio if he/she has strong regional name-recognition and support, and an established volunteer army to GOTV.  The VP also needs to have sufficient experience to take over as President (ie, not Sarah Palin) without training wheels.

[stegosaurus]

Rubio, easily.  He's got the conservative cred and he's both flashy and poised.  I think he's too green, but he's the best to balance Romney.

I still think Romney is a sh**t candidate, tho.

Another person in office in less than two years? It was tried already, in 2008

Yeah, but the difference now is Obama and then Palin lowered the bar for experience on a presidential ticket. Palin's effect on lowering the bar was obviously and decidedly in a negative "not ready for prime time" manner. As a Veep selection also elected to statewide office only 2 years earlier, Rubio would naturally be compared in this respect to Palin. However, Rubio is Palin's polar opposite as far as being telegenic and polished. So not only would he face a lowered expectations bar (at first at least), he'd likely hurdle it by a mile.

Ah, using the old "lowering the bar" argument. 

How about we try the old "raising the bar" argument!!!  Like finding a president and VP who has both competency and experience.  If he's going with florida, he will go with Jeb, not Rubio.

I doubt Jeb would take a backseat to Mitt Romney, nor would it do Romney a lot of good to have the name Bush attached to the ticket. If we are going for a Floridian not named Rubio, why not look at Mel Martinez?

Brilliant, he can pick someone ineligible to be president!  you have to be a US citizen at birth to run for president.

Ha! I feel a little silly, I wasn't aware that Martinez was actually born in Cuba.

Anyways, I think JEB is has more positives than outweight negatives.  Democrats would never vote for a Bush, but I think Indies will vote for a Bush, especially because they are smart enough to realize that Jeb and Dubya are 2 different people from 2 different states, and Jeb is considered the smarter one.

To a well-informed citizen who is politically knowledgeable, this would be absolutely true. However, to suggest that a majority of independent voters fall into this category is to give the population a little too much credit. Besides that, if Romney doesn't go for a young guy with spread appeal, he'll probably want to pick someone with foreign policy credentials.

This isn't to say that Jeb wouldn't be a good pick on paper, but Romney knows that (assuming the economy remains stagnant and unemployment high) he has a clear path to victory and would best served by avoiding anything that could be politically stigmatic and risky. Then again, I could very well be making the common mistake of thinking that the VP candidate is more important than they often turnout to be. In fact, a VP candidate is usually only a major factor when they are hurting the campaign (McCain 2008).

I think polling in the swing states will determine whether Jeb is an asset or a hindrance.  Remember many people enthusiastically voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004, and he still has strong evangelical support.  Jeb's a smart thoroughbred, with lots of fundraising and experience, particularly on Central American/Latino issues.  I don't think any one cares about Iraq or Afganistan anymore other than that we should not be there anymore.  Its the economy stupid, and Romney needs to Double-Down on that issue.  John Kerry thought he had more foreign policy experience, and he got massacred on it.  I actually think there are a lot of specific things a VP can do to ensure a winning election (there are also a lot of things a VP can do to hurt the campaign, like Sarah Palin did).  Specifically, a VP can help by delivering a swing state like Florida and Ohio if he/she has strong regional name-recognition and support, and an established volunteer army to GOTV.  The VP also needs to have sufficient experience to take over as President (ie, not Sarah Palin) without training wheels.

You could be right about Jeb, it's very early and only time will tell where the public's mindset will be at that stage of the election.

It's not so much Iraq and Afghanistan as much as it is the revolutions in the middle east and our level of involvement in them. It's a delicate situation and it will be an issue in 2012. I agree though that the election will be predominately about the economy and it's on such issues that Romney excels, as a supporter I'm looking forward to it.

I'm not so sure what the VP candidate can do for a nominee outside of be the ugly, sharp toothed side of the campaign. Counting on VP candidates to deliver certain regions or states is a common mistake that political observers make. I think back to the Democrats of 2004 and all the hullabaloo about how great a pick Edwards was and how NC was now in play - and then Kerry lost NC by 13 points. At the end of the day, Romney will win or lose the election based on his own merits, so long as he doesn't pick a gaffe machine.

[milhouse24]

Rubio, easily.  He's got the conservative cred and he's both flashy and poised.  I think he's too green, but he's the best to balance Romney.

I still think Romney is a sh**t candidate, tho.

Another person in office in less than two years? It was tried already, in 2008

Yeah, but the difference now is Obama and then Palin lowered the bar for experience on a presidential ticket. Palin's effect on lowering the bar was obviously and decidedly in a negative "not ready for prime time" manner. As a Veep selection also elected to statewide office only 2 years earlier, Rubio would naturally be compared in this respect to Palin. However, Rubio is Palin's polar opposite as far as being telegenic and polished. So not only would he face a lowered expectations bar (at first at least), he'd likely hurdle it by a mile.

Ah, using the old "lowering the bar" argument. 

How about we try the old "raising the bar" argument!!!  Like finding a president and VP who has both competency and experience.  If he's going with florida, he will go with Jeb, not Rubio.

I doubt Jeb would take a backseat to Mitt Romney, nor would it do Romney a lot of good to have the name Bush attached to the ticket. If we are going for a Floridian not named Rubio, why not look at Mel Martinez?

Brilliant, he can pick someone ineligible to be president!  you have to be a US citizen at birth to run for president.

Ha! I feel a little silly, I wasn't aware that Martinez was actually born in Cuba.

Anyways, I think JEB is has more positives than outweight negatives.  Democrats would never vote for a Bush, but I think Indies will vote for a Bush, especially because they are smart enough to realize that Jeb and Dubya are 2 different people from 2 different states, and Jeb is considered the smarter one.

To a well-informed citizen who is politically knowledgeable, this would be absolutely true. However, to suggest that a majority of independent voters fall into this category is to give the population a little too much credit. Besides that, if Romney doesn't go for a young guy with spread appeal, he'll probably want to pick someone with foreign policy credentials.

This isn't to say that Jeb wouldn't be a good pick on paper, but Romney knows that (assuming the economy remains stagnant and unemployment high) he has a clear path to victory and would best served by avoiding anything that could be politically stigmatic and risky. Then again, I could very well be making the common mistake of thinking that the VP candidate is more important than they often turnout to be. In fact, a VP candidate is usually only a major factor when they are hurting the campaign (McCain 2008).

I think polling in the swing states will determine whether Jeb is an asset or a hindrance.  Remember many people enthusiastically voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004, and he still has strong evangelical support.  Jeb's a smart thoroughbred, with lots of fundraising and experience, particularly on Central American/Latino issues.  I don't think any one cares about Iraq or Afganistan anymore other than that we should not be there anymore.  Its the economy stupid, and Romney needs to Double-Down on that issue.  John Kerry thought he had more foreign policy experience, and he got massacred on it.  I actually think there are a lot of specific things a VP can do to ensure a winning election (there are also a lot of things a VP can do to hurt the campaign, like Sarah Palin did).  Specifically, a VP can help by delivering a swing state like Florida and Ohio if he/she has strong regional name-recognition and support, and an established volunteer army to GOTV.  The VP also needs to have sufficient experience to take over as President (ie, not Sarah Palin) without training wheels.

You could be right about Jeb, it's very early and only time will tell where the public's mindset will be at that stage of the election.

It's not so much Iraq and Afghanistan as much as it is the revolutions in the middle east and our level of involvement in them. It's a delicate situation and it will be an issue in 2012. I agree though that the election will be predominately about the economy and it's on such issues that Romney excels, as a supporter I'm looking forward to it.

I'm not so sure what the VP candidate can do for a nominee outside of be the ugly, sharp toothed side of the campaign. Counting on VP candidates to deliver certain regions or states is a common mistake that political observers make. I think back to the Democrats of 2004 and all the hullabaloo about how great a pick Edwards was and how NC was now in play - and then Kerry lost NC by 13 points. At the end of the day, Romney will win or lose the election based on his own merits, so long as he doesn't pick a gaffe machine.

I'm quite sure Jeb will be able to deliver Florida to the GOP.  You may have a different opinion.  Foreign countries can't vote and don't count in the electoral college.
The candidate with the most states wins, which is usually always the case. 

[TheGlobalizer]

Rubio, easily.  He's got the conservative cred and he's both flashy and poised.  I think he's too green, but he's the best to balance Romney.

I still think Romney is a sh**t candidate, tho.

Another person in office in less than two years? It was tried already, in 2008

That's why I said he was too green.  However, he was in the state house for 9 years and Speaker for 2, so it's not like he's a complete neophyte.

But yes, please, someone with more experience.  And someone else at the top of the ticket.