Veep Watch

Posted by Seth on Aug 28, 2008 - 12:00 pm

So, with the news that McCain will announce his running mate Friday, I thought it might be fun to run down the prospects, and their pros and cons.  So, here we go:

Eric Cantor:  U.S. House from Virginia, reliably conservative, and Jewish.  Reports are that he has been in discussions with the campaign, and has possibly been vetted.

Joe Lieberman:  U.S. Senate, one of McCain’s most prominent backers against the wishes of his party.  Matches McCain on the War in Iraq and climate change legislation, but on little else.  There’s always a chance that McCain might pull an Abe Lincoln and select a member from another party, though this might sink him among conservatives who have only recently warmed to him.

Sarah Palin:  Alaska Governor, a reform Republican in the style McCain wants to be, and to quote pollster Dave Dittman, “The [Alaska] landscape is littered with the bodies of those who crossed [Palin].”

Tim Pawlenty:  Minnesota Governor, coined the term “Sam’s Club Republicanism.” Would be a great selection in aiming for the conservative populism that McCain must espouse if he wants to win (I’ll talk more about this in the future).  Has backed McCain since the very beginning, and stood by him through thick and thin.

David Petraeus:  Military commander in Iraq who turned around the situation there.  No domestic track record though, so it is unlikely that he’ll be the choice, but he’d be a hell of a game-changer.

Colin Powell:  Would really help McCain seem to be a bipartisan leader, and would veer away from the last Bush term.  One problem:  will Powell endorse McCain or Obama?

Mitt Romney:  Former Massachusetts Governor and McCain’s strongest opponent in the primary.  Could help on the economy as a former business executive, but could come off as aristocratic in a year when people are concerned about the economy.

I know you’re thinking, who do I think it will be?  Well, I’ll tell you what I’ve told everyone who’s asked me since McCain won the primary:  I have no clue.  If you ask me who I want it to be, that’s another story.

McCain needs to pick either Palin, Pawlenty, or Cantor.  The three of them represent what I see as the future of the Republican Party.  They can promote a Republicanism beyond the wrecking ball the Bush administration did the Republican Party.  Again, I’ll espouse more about what I see as what the Republican Party must be to win in the future, but that is it’s own blog post.

Good luck guessing.