If Mitt Romney wins the Republican nomination, is there any chance he would pick Mike Huckabee for Vice President?
Please discuss.
I don't see why not. Primary winners often pick primary losers for their running mates. Clinton and Bush the Younger didn't, but Reagan picked Bush the Elder, even after they had heated debates in the 1980 primaries. Moreover, I think Romney would be interested in choosing a running mate based on his ability to help deliver electoral votes, and I think that having a genuine protestant minister on the ticket might be something Romney's think-tank advisors may adivse, given that there are those who still apparently have a problem with Mormons, Jews, Catholics, Mormons, and pretty much any who isn't calvanist or mainline protestant. Sad, perhaps, but true. So in terms of strategy, he may be advised in that way. And if he were going to pick a running mate from among the primary losers (and it has been done in the past), the only one you can really rule out is Thompson, who actually deigned to run an anti-Romney ad during an intra-party debate. I figure you can call Thompson "dead" in the minds of all the other GOP hopefuls. But the rest have generally made nice with each other.
Also, don't think "ideology" necessarily has anything to do with that. Remember Reagan/Bush in 1980, who were about as far apart on every important issue as two republicans could be. Or remember Gore/Liebermann in 2000. For example, in the primaries, Liebermann was all about vouchers, or, as he called it "school choice." ("What, vouchers? did I say I was for school vouchers?".) How quickly he became an avid vocal opponent once Gore's henchmen put him under wraps. These deals are made secretly, and who knows what promises are made by candidates to their vice-candidates. It's easy to call the VP candidate a hypocrite, since he often changes his tune once selected, but you have to remember that candidates also sometimes change their tunes in cases where older, more experienced VP candidates are selected. (Witness Johnson convincing Kennedy to pursue the Great Welfare State legislative agenda, or Cheney convincing Bush to pursue a foreign policy far removed from the one he campaigned on.)
I don't have a crystal ball, but I can't think of any reason why you could rule out Romney picking Huckabee. In fact, all things considered, I think that among the 305 million americans alive today, Huckabee would be in the top million or so for his VP choice. Not too shabby.
