Veep dubiety: Romney? Portman? Palin?!?
The guessing game over who will be selected as John McCain’s running mate continues, with no less speculation and no more certainty as the general election campaign gets prepared to shift into full gear.
According to rumors, McCain’s short list for the veep slot has been narrowed to 3: Mitt Romney, his bitter opponent in the primaries; Ohio Congressman Rob Portman; and South Dakota’s John Thume, the Senator who unseated former majority leader Tom Daschle in 2004.
Long shots (like former opponent Mike Huckabee) and safe bets (like Minnesota’s Tim Pawlenty) alike have apparently fallen to the website as McCain nears an end in the process of choosing a running mate.
So, if the race is indeed down to 3, whom will it be? Opinions, it turns out, are much more varied than the short list of candidates.
Politico opines that Romney will be the veep selection, pointing out that he could raise large amounts of money (”McCain sources tell Politico that they believe Romney could raise $50 million in 60 days. One close Romney adviser said it could even be $60 million”). Romney’s resume would also be likely to add a lot of credibility to the GOP ticket where the issue of a stumbling economy is concerned. And, it doesn’t hurt that Romney has family ties in Michigan (his father was a presidential candidate there), a key swing state that typically goes for the Democratic candidate.
But perhaps the biggest benefit Romney would bring to the ticket is his Mormon affiliation. The swing that would provide in the West would likely be enough to propel McCain over Obama in Nevada, a red state that appears set to go blue in November.
Critics, however, point out that Romney and McCain were bitter rivals during the primary season. And, the Republicans’ conservative base remained less than enamored with Romney despite endorsements by well-known right-wing commentators such as Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. It’s also speculated that Romney’s LDS affiliation could hurt him in the South’s Bible Belt, a typical Republican stronghold where Obama is attempting to make inroads, particularly in South Carolina and Georgia.
Dave at Race42008, meanwhile, feels that Portman is the right choice. Dave says:
He’s from Ohio, a battleground state that both candidates need to win. The fact that he’s from Ohio means that he will carry himself like a guy from Ohio, and guys from Ohio tend to be very similar to guys from Michigan and guys from Pennsylvania, meaning that Portman should be able to connect to folks in the Pittsburgh and Detroit suburbs just as easily as he connects to those in his own Ohio congressional district.
Newsweek’s Andrew Romano is also aboard the Romney bandwagon.
But Portman, while a solid conservative, is a virtual unknown outside Ohio and even within his state but outside his district. And, his close affiliation with the Bush administration could hurt him.
Meanwhile, Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol offers this wrinkle: Alaska governor Sarah Palin.
Palin has been quietly mentioned in some circles as a candidate for McCain’s running mate, but is considered a very long shot. But why not? As Alaska’s youngest governor ever, Palin’s disapproval rating is only 5% . . . she is the most popular politician in America among her constituency. She’s solidly conservative, but doesn’t march to anyone’s drum beat. She’s anti-abortion and opposes gay marriage, but vetoed legislation that effectively granted state benefits to same-sex couples. She’s taken a leading role in addressing climate change in Alaska, but has sued the U.S. Dept. of the Interior for placing the polar bear on the federal endangered species list, saying the classification will harm her state’s ability to expand oil and gas production efforts. And, did we mention she’s a woman? In a year where voters appear enamored by the possibilities of presidential firsts? (And, because we’re Americans and thusly are always looking ahead for the next source of entertainment before the current entertainment ends, a Palin vice presidency candidacy would possibly set up a Palin vs. Clinton presidential showdown in 2012; female vs. female. Oh, the possibilities.)