Slow news day, huh? Might as well pontificate about prospective V.P. selections.
For McCain there are IMO four screamingly-obvious candidates:
1. MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
2. Former PA Gov. and DHS Sec. Tom Ridge.
3. Former OH Rep. and OMB Dir. Rob Portman.
4. TX Gov. Rick Perry.
For Ridge the biggest issue the the “single-issue” dilemma. That is to say millions of single-issue conservatives would use Ridge’s presence on the ticket as an excuse to stay home and not vote. Then again, what percentage of that demographic are not going to vote in any event?
For Perry the biggest issue is the fact Texas is not remotely in play. Then again, the Republican Party has a history of choosing Veeps hailing from states that are not politically competitive (e.g., Cheney, WY; Kemp, N.Y.; Quayle, IN).
If I were McCain I’d choose Ridge. I suspect, however, that Pawlenty or Portman will get the nod. Which would be fine. Pawlenty is a young conservative governor with a track record of success and pragmatism and he’d add geographic balance to the ticket. Portman is a young conservative with executive and legislative experience who has won multiple contests in an electorally-relevant state. You could do a lot worse.
For the media/Democrats there also are four obvious candidates:
1. NM Gov. Bill Richardson.
2. VA Gov. Tim Kaine.
3. TN Gov. Phil Bredesen.
4. OK Gov. Brad Henry.
At first blush Obama would need to pick someone who’s white, given his disasterous showings among whites in key states. What’s gone almost completely unnoticed by the liberal media and the spaced-out chattering classes, however, is that Latinos have even less use for Obama. If you don’t believe me, well, check the results of the primaries in California, Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico. Keep in mind those were Democrat primaries; the numbers among that demographic in the Nov. general election stand to be much worse.
Richardson, as such, certainly will be a leading contender. On the other hand, Richardson does not hail from a big battleground, whereas Gov. Kaine might help the media paint VA red. I suspect the media will focus group or poll the issue and will be guided accordingly. All four men are strong candidates. (If, somehow, Hillary employs sufficient dirty tricks in Denver to snag the nomination then Gov. Rendell or Gov. Strickland would be the obvious Veep choices.)
