Archive → May 22nd, 2008
McCain VP targets: Charlie Crist
There are two main reasons Florida governor Charlie Crist is being mentioned as one of the first three VP candidates GOP presidential nominee John McCain will consider to run alongside him in November. First, his predecessor Jeb Bush is too toxic in this Bush-weary nation to invite onto the ticket, and second, he’s the popular governor of a key battleground state that is a huge electoral jackpot in November that most analysts agree McCain will need to carry agains Obama to keep the White House in GOP hands.
Yet there are a world of troubles with Crist, and you can’t buy memory enough to forget these negatives.
First, Crist is nearly as liberal as McCain, although he has a shorter track record in public life; that wouldn’t sit well with party conservatives who are already turned off to the McCain ticket and would be likely to skip the presidential portion of the ballot, or vote Bob Barr on the Libertarian ticket, if McCain chooses another liberal as his running mate.
Second, Crist doesn’t have Romney’s fundraising acumen, which is not an inconsiderable factor.
Third, all Crist brings to the table is Florida, which although key, is pretty much his only asset.
In all, since I’d rather see Jindal mature a bit before being thrown to the wolves of the national liberal media elites, and since Crist is not enough of a balance to the ticket, in the end I think Mitt Romney makes the most sense for McCain, of the three candidates mentioned.
Of course, there are always more folks out there who could come into play down the line, if none of these three want it. But a McCain-Romney ticket wouldn’t be a bad idea, especially if it lead to a Romeny-Jindal ticket four or eight years from now.
McCain VP targets: Bobby Jindal
If I were a futures broker, I’d wager that first-term Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has a great future in the GOP as a future presidential candidate. He’s young, he’s quite conservative, and he’s well-liked. And as the son of India immigrants, he possesses minority appeal.
Of course, that’s why Bobby Jindal is one of the top three VP targets GOP presidential nominee John McCain is hosting in Arizona over the next few weeks. Although he has little in the way of experience or a fund-raising track record, and does no hail from a state that is a large electoral jackpot, Jindal’s biggest assets are that he would mollify GOP conservatives not enchanted by the liberal McCain, and that he is a bit of an Obama-solution, offering voters another non-white candidate with relative youth and charisma.
However, there are dangers in the Jindal strategy, and they are all at the cost of Jindal, not McCain. First and foremost, as a less-experienced politician, Jindal is untested on the national stage. While that works for Barack Obama, who has the liberal media on his side, that works less well with conservatives like Jindal, who the media would be out to embarrass, leveraging his youth and inexperience to make him look doltish.
If I were Jindal’s advisor, I’d console him to take a pass on running with McCain and concentrate on performing well as Louisiana governor and winning at least one re-election to that seat before moving on. Remember, Bush the Elder once selected a young, promising, very conservative senator as his running mate, and Dan Quayle as never lived it down. I’d hate to see that same vilefying happen to Jindal, whose chances will be much better four, eight or even 12 years down the road.
Finally, we come to my least-favorite name among the first three McCain is considering: Florida governor Charlie Crist.
McCain VP targets: Mitt Romeny
As far as I know, no diamond rings will be involved, but GOP presidential nominee John McCain will be meeting over the weekend with three potential vice-presidential contenders, any of whom he might pair himself with for the November race. Of the three names mentioned, however, I only like two of them.
The one who might make the most sense is former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who challenged McCain early in the GOP political process and seemed the presumptive nominee until a poorer-than-expected showing on Super Tuesday forced him from the race. Perceived to be more conservative than the liberal McCain, Romney’s biggest asset could be his fund-raising ability; since becoming the lone frontrunner, McCain’s campaign has shown weakness in its ability to build up a campaign war chest, an area of strength for Romney.
Younger than McCain, Romney would be an attractive choice among party conservatives who want to ensure the next GOP administration has an heir apparent ready to take office. As the man who came closest to McCain to garnering the nomination himself, Romney has all the right credentials.
Next we’ll take a look at the politically most-appealing VP target: Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal.
