We have our nominees and all we need is some veeps so we can head
down the final stretch to November. There are plenty of prospects for
McCain and Obama to choose from. I'll start with McCain.
Mitt Romney
Former
Massachusetts Governor and Businessman made a strong run to the
nomination and showed himself to be a formidable campaigner.
Pros
-Great fundraising prowess, although it still wouldn't stack up to Obama. Tapping Mitt's wealth would help.
-Performed well on television and in the debates
-Right or otherwise, he is given credit of having vast knowledge of economics and business.
-Executive experience
-Could help further pacify an uneasy conservative base who failed to rally around Mitt fast enough
Cons
-Squishy on past flipping on social issues
-Mormonism scares some
-Doesn't help geographically (Massachusetts won't be in play)
-It's obvious he wants the Presidency. Bush picked Cheney because he
knew he didn't desire the Presidency. Whether McCain cares about that
or not is yet to be seen.
Charlie Crist
Popular governor of Florida who help McCain take the state in the primaries.
Pros
-Fairly conservative and a popular figure in Florida
-Does put an incredibly important state in play
-seems warm, friendly, and down to earth (have a beer with kind of thing)
Cons
-Drank the Kool-Aid on emissions controls and not drilling off the cost of Florida
-Supports federally backed insurance for those on Florida coast lines
Sarah Palin
Most popular governor in America with 90% approval in Alaska.
Some people think she would make a great Veep. I'm not so sure.
A
Jack Kelly article makes the case for Palin along with a
"draft Palin"website.
Pros
-She's hot
-She's a woman
-She took on corruption and wasteful spending in the Alaskan Republic Party
-She's pro life and conservative
Cons
-Only in her second year as governor after two terms as Mayor of
Wasilla. Would completely undercut McCain's argument that Obama is
naive and inexperience when he has Palin a heartbeat away from
Presidency
-At this point, I cannot tell how much knowledge she has on foreign policy and her views on the War on Terror.
-I think she's severely inexperienced and not ready for this. Give her
another Gubernatorial term and she'll be ready for primetime.
Tom Ridge
Former U.S. Representative, Pennsylvania Governor, and first Secretary of Homeland Security is a strong choice for Veep.
Pros
-Legislative, Executive, and National Security experience all in one.
-Wouldn't be seeking the Presidency (I think)
-Vietnam Vet with the medals to show for it
-Pennsylvania in play. Huge toss up state.
Cons
-Close ties to the Bush administration
-He's pro choice. Not all that bad, but if you remember what the press
did to Giuliani for being pro-choice you can see the drawbacks. It will
be a huge distraction for McCain.
Ridge seems like a good choice. Marc Ambinder of The Atlantic has a
full letter to the McCain campaign about the pros and cons of Ridge
here
if you want to read further.
Tim Pawlenty
Governor of Minnesota who has downplayed any national ambition.
Pros
-Popular Governor of a battleground state
-A solid conservative.
-With two Gubernatorial terms coming to a close, he has the right experience.
Cons
-Supported a 20% mandate for ethanol mixing into gasoline in his state.
-Being a strong foe of illegal immigration would help conservatives
back McCain, but could alienate Hispanics and McCain's position on the
issue.
-As with many of the governors on the list, it's hard to tell to what
extent they are knowledgeable on foreign affairs and the wars we are in.
Mark Sanford
3
Term member of the Republican Revolution and in his second term as
Governor of South Carolina, many have called Sanford somewhat of a
"Libertarian".
Pros
-Like McCain, he's a vicious opponent of wasteful spending. This led
him to bring pigs into the South Carolina legislature after they put
excessive pork in the budget.
-The GOP could use some more "libertarian".
-Kept his promise on term limits in the House
-He's eloquent and fairly young (48)
Cons
-South Carolina isn't a battleground state
Not a whole lot not to like about Sanford really. He's one of my top picks.
And last but not least......
Bobby Jindal
At 36 with more experience than Obama, Jindal has many conservatives excited.
Pros
-Reliable conservative reformer
-Eloquent
-Despite having less than a year as governor, he still has extensive experience and an impressive resume.
-Young
Cons
-Young. Although his resume is better than Obama's, he needs more time as Governor before he hits the national scene again.
-Louisiana needs him pretty badly at the moment.
Would I love to see Jindal as President of VP in the future? Sure. I'm just not sure if now is the best time.
So to wrap up I would rank them in this order:
1. Mark Sanford
2. Tom Ridge
3. Tim Pawlenty
4. Mitt Romney
5. Bobby Jindal
6. Sarah Palin
7. Charlie Crist
If you disagree with my rankings or think I have missed a potential Veep, please let me know.