McCain should really consider a McCain/Taft ticket

[Mr. Morden]

But he might very well win Ohio anyway, so it's a bit of a waste.  Obviously, the best choice is Pete Wilson.  That's 55 free electoral votes that he wouldn't even have to work for.

[Mr. Morden]

But he might very well win Ohio anyway, so it's a bit of a waste.  Obviously, the best choice is Pete Wilson.  That's 55 free electoral votes that he wouldn't even have to work for.

How do you feel that this will affect Nevada and Oregon, two states which vote heavily on the "Vice Presidents who were willing to live in states that touch ours" issue?

Oh, I forgot about that effect.  In that case, maybe he'd be better off with George Pataki, as that could also get him PA, NJ, CT, MA, and VT along with NY.  RI is also kind of close to the tip of Long Island, so that could be affected as well.  Overall, that's like 90 free electoral votes.  And while neither Ontario nor Quebec have any electoral votes, since they border New York, McCain would inevitably become quite popular in the Great White North.

On the flip side, Obama should probably pick someone from Tennessee, as it gets him most of the South.....I'm thinking maybe Harold Ford Jr.

[Mr. Morden]

Is this a joke.

Ah, you might have missed a few lines in the thread that I think give away whether or not this is a joke.  I think it's clear when you read these parts:

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Of course, the other parts of the thread were a bit more serious, so I can understand the confusion.

[Mr. Morden]

I think if both candidates were allowed to have about 5 or 6 running mates, you could spread them out geographically, such that the outcome of every state was determined by the geographical proximity of the state to the running mate's home state.  Too bad the constitution doesn't allow for that, as it would allow you to cancel the actual election, and simply infer the winner based on geography.

[Mr. Morden]

I think if both candidates were allowed to have about 5 or 6 running mates, you could spread them out geographically, such that the outcome of every state was determined by the geographical proximity of the state to the running mate's home state.  Too bad the constitution doesn't allow for that, as it would allow you to cancel the actual election, and simply infer the winner based on geography.

Ah, but you're forgetting:  McCain could always announce his intended appointments to various cabinet positions ahead of election day.  For example, by stating his intention to pick Rep. Peter King for the office of Secretary of Labor, that'd swing New York's electoral votes firmly into McCain's column.  Game over, Barack Obama.

Hmmm....I hadn't thought of that.  The Cabinet could make things rather interesting.  How about this?  Each candidate announces his running mate, and his entire Cabinet, along with all the undersecretaries, and so forth......in, fact, why not?  How about each candidate announces who they're going to hire for the entire federal workforce.

The election will be decided based on a mathematical equation, that weights every citizen's "vote" on the basis of their physical proximity to each of the potential federal workers (with of course greater weight being placed on higher offices, so living near a prospective VP counts for more than living near a prospective undersecretary for water planning in Nome, Alaska), integrated over the course of their entire lifetimes.

This would require a rather detailed census, to determine how close every "voter" has ever been to every prospective federal employee.  But it would be worth it, in order to have the "election" decided by a computer program rather than an actual vote.

[Mr. Morden]

Announcing one's planned cabinet does sound good.  It's more transparent, allowing the American people to know who they're electing beforehand.

It also makes the selection of the cabinet even more political than it already is.