A few weeks ago — after it became obvious McCain would get the nomination — I wrote a post about potential vice presidential picks. Not surprisingly, I committed several glaring sins of omission.
Click the below link to read musings about additional prospective Veep selections.
Matt Blunt
Pros: Beyond obvious. I must have been smokin’ something when I left him off my original list. Blunt is a young governor of a state which for several decades has been the ultimate bellweather in presidential contests.
Cons: Perhaps a bit too young (Blunt is 37), although if Obama is the Dem nominee the media/Democrats will look more idiotic than usual if they play up Blunt’s relative youth and inexperience.
Kay Bailey Hutchison
Pros: The potental electoral benefits of a female conservative — her lifetime ACU rating is 90, the same rating as Newt Gingrich’s — are beyond obvious.
Cons: Texas is not remotely in play. Given McCain’s very advanced age, Hutchison is a bit too old for Veep.
Michael Steele
Pros: Should be quite obvious. Steele is a young conservative with some executive experience who would add geographic and demographic balance to the ticket.
Cons: Is Maryland legitimately in play? Even so, would Steele be able to deliver that state? Steele in 2006 could not come close to winning Maryland’s open U.S. Senate seat, despite the fact the Democrats that year split directly along racial lines in their primary contest. There’s also the fact Steele is Catholic, which quite unfortunately is an issue for many self-styled (often non-voting, however) Protestant conservatives. (See below re: Gov. Hoeven.)
Sarah Palin
Pros: Young and telegenic female governor.
Cons: Alaska is not remotely in play. It’s also a long way from Alaska to any conceivable battleground state. Given that Palin first won a major election only two years ago, selecting her as Veep might be seen by the voting electorate as pandering to the female demographic.
Jodi Rell
Pros: Female governor with over a decade of executive-level experience. Would add geographic balance to the ticket.
Cons: Is Connecticut legitimately in play? Rell also is a bit too old for Veep. And her pro-choice viewpoints would give self-destructive social conservatives a reason to stay home and not vote.
John Hoeven
Pros: Young conservative governor from the Mid-West.
Cons: North Dakota is not remotely in play. Hoeven’s Catholic religion would give certain segments of the evangelical Christian right a reason to stay home and not vote, although it must be pointed out that a material percentage of that demographic almost never votes in any event in general elections.
