2008 Vice-Presidential Thread

[MrsSpringsteen]

UPDATE JULY 22: McCain campaign sources confirm to CNN that there have been discussions high in the campaign about naming a running mate this week. They also say that the choices have been "narrowed" to the point where McCain could make a decision by the week's end.

Robert Novak reports:

Sources close to Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign are suggesting he will reveal the name of his vice presidential selection this week while Sen. Barack Obama is getting the headlines on his foreign trip. The name of McCain's running mate has not been disclosed, but Mitt Romney has led the speculation recently.

The news set off a flurry of reporting, with Politico's Jonathan Martin appearing to throw some water on Novak's story:

John McCain has narrowed his vice-presidential possibilities to the point where he considered a decision this week -- but he's likely to hold off, say sources close to the campaign.


The prospect of stepping on Barack Obama's much-anticipated overseas trip with the headline-grabbing news was discussed among the small inner-circle of McCain aides and advisers privy to the running mate decision, according to a McCain source. [...]

One inner-circle McCain adviser said the longtime plans are to name the selection close to the Republican convention, on the theory that all that really matters is the final sprint to Election Day.

"No one is panicking about this week," the adviser said. "Frankly, it is excellent for the press to be getting Obamamania out of their system."

Meanwhile, Chris Cillizza reports:

John McCain will huddle with vice presidential aspirant Bobby Jindal during a trip to New Orleans later this week, sources close to the campaign confirm to The Fix.


McCain's trip to Louisiana on Wednesday was the cause of much head scratching in the political world as it was not in keeping with a week of planned stops in battleground states.

But, the meeting with Jindal, who has been the state's governor since 2007, suggests that McCain himself is deeply engaged in the process of picking his second-in-command and that the youthful Jindal is under serious consideration.

 

[2861U2]

UPDATE JULY 22: McCain campaign sources confirm to CNN that there have been discussions high in the campaign about naming a running mate this week. They also say that the choices have been "narrowed" to the point where McCain could make a decision by the week's end.

Robert Novak reports:

Sources close to Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign are suggesting he will reveal the name of his vice presidential selection this week while Sen. Barack Obama is getting the headlines on his foreign trip. The name of McCain's running mate has not been disclosed, but Mitt Romney has led the speculation recently.

The news set off a flurry of reporting, with Politico's Jonathan Martin appearing to throw some water on Novak's story:

John McCain has narrowed his vice-presidential possibilities to the point where he considered a decision this week -- but he's likely to hold off, say sources close to the campaign.


The prospect of stepping on Barack Obama's much-anticipated overseas trip with the headline-grabbing news was discussed among the small inner-circle of McCain aides and advisers privy to the running mate decision, according to a McCain source. [...]

One inner-circle McCain adviser said the longtime plans are to name the selection close to the Republican convention, on the theory that all that really matters is the final sprint to Election Day.

"No one is panicking about this week," the adviser said. "Frankly, it is excellent for the press to be getting Obamamania out of their system."

Meanwhile, Chris Cillizza reports:

John McCain will huddle with vice presidential aspirant Bobby Jindal during a trip to New Orleans later this week, sources close to the campaign confirm to The Fix.


McCain's trip to Louisiana on Wednesday was the cause of much head scratching in the political world as it was not in keeping with a week of planned stops in battleground states.

But, the meeting with Jindal, who has been the state's governor since 2007, suggests that McCain himself is deeply engaged in the process of picking his second-in-command and that the youthful Jindal is under serious consideration.

Exciting news. I doubt it's Jindal. I think he's more likely to give the major speech at the convention, kind of like Obama did, and become the rising star setting himself up for a future presidential run.

 

[Vincent Vega]

Ok, Thursday there will be the announcement.


Obama's speech begins 7pm CET, about 1pm New York time.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

He's announcing his VP choice in Germany? Is that what they're saying there?

 

[Vincent Vega]

No, Obama is speaking publicly here on Thursday, and having talks to Merkel, then on Friday to Sarkozy and Brown.
I guess as that might cause some media interest and hence McCain could announce his VP choice on Thursday as that probably would suppress Obama's speech and meetings here.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Oh I see, thanks

McCain is desperate for attention Hey he was up in Kennebunkport at the Bush compound yesterday, it was on the local news. Then he spoke at the Nonantum resort and some McCain protesters showed up.

 

[Irvine511]

i'm thinking McCain's going to do something to shake things up and go for Jindal.

a risk, but it would be like a shot of adrenaline to his campaign.

 

[deep]

if i had to guess right now

I would say Romney is in front of Jindal

I do realize Jindal is a pick
that would seem to counter-balance Obama a bit.


But, lets be honest, Obama has the youth vote sewn up.

and picking up 2-3 per cent, won't really help, that much.

 

[anitram]

Sarah Palin, the current governor of Alaska might be a great choice as well. She has the highest approval rating of any politician in the country at 85%. A women at 44 years old, she has the gender and youth that McCain does not. I can see a lot of independent and Democratic women swinging to McCain with her on the ticket as well as those in the younger demographic.

Guess not:

Alaska Senate leaders want an investigation of whether Gov. Sarah Palin pressured and then fired the public safety commissioner because he wouldn't get rid of a state trooper who had gone through a bitter divorce with Palin's sister.

"I'm fairly confident at this point that what we're going to see is the appointment of an independent investigator," said Anchorage Democratic Sen. Hollis French, chairman of the judiciary committee.

Story.

 

[Strongbow]

Guess not:



Story.

I think she would have been a great running mate, but the highest that most people ever put her at was #4 in terms of who would be most likely to be McCain's VP. Having something like this come up at this point probably takes her off the list, unless it were to be quickly found that it was not true and the issue disappeared. Right now, it appears that Romney is at #1 when looking at the probabilities for who is likely to be McCain's VP.

 

[2861U2]

Apparently it won't be Jindal. He took himself out of the running today on Fox & Friends.

 

[Irvine511]

Apparently it won't be Jindal. He took himself out of the running today on Fox & Friends.

looking like the Mac and Mitt show.

 

[anitram]

Oh Mittens. I've missed him. Remember how mean McCain used to be to him in the debates? Fun times!!

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Who would take themselves out of the running for Vice President on Fox and Friends? That's pretty anticlimactic. Hey Steve Doocy, I'm not going to be VP.

Mac and Mitt. The most scintillating twosome since ARod and Madonna

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Oh Mittens. I've missed him

Mittens. lol

 

[Irvine511]

Oh Mittens. I've missed him. Remember how mean McCain used to be to him in the debates? Fun times!!

i, for one, am looking forward to see how the Romney boys continue to serve their country, not in Iraq, but by getting their dad elected!

that, and the reintroduction of "gosh" and "golly" back into the political lexicon.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

We really do not need any more Tagg Romney. We've been doing perfectly well without him.

Ditto someone else

Wow, ask and ye shall receive

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Most of the things he says seem to come totally out of left field, so I wouldn't put too much stock in this


ROCHESTER, New Hampshire (CNN) – It's VP tea leaf reading season, and a Republican source who attended a small private meeting with John McCain Tuesday in New Hampshire tells CNN that the GOP candidate dropped a serious hint about Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.

The Republican source said "out of the blue" McCain told the gathering that he thinks they are "really going to like" Pawlenty.


This GOP source noted that McCain also said nice things about Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and Rudy Giuliani, but those appeared to be standard lines he says about former rivals.

This source said McCain may have been talking about Pawlenty because the meeting was with New Hampshire GOP delegates, and the Republican convention is in Pawlenty's state.

But this source said McCain's praise was effusive, and noteworthy because it appeared to come "totally out of left field."

Pawlenty is a long-time supporter of McCain's. He's from a swing state with considerable support across the Republican Party, including evangelicals, and has always been thought by Republican strategists to be on McCain's short list.

The Minnesota governor, who is visiting Washington, was at McCain headquarters in Virginia today for meetings, according to a McCain aide.

 

[2861U2]

Pawlenty is a bad choice. He's a great guy, but McCain winning Minnesota is unlikely even with Pawlenty. Maybe the praise was referring to him hosting the convention.

 

[ntalwar]

Obama's speech begins 7pm CET, about 1pm New York time.

Off-topic, but how many people are expected to attend the Berlin speech and how do you think it will be received?

 

[Vincent Vega]

There are extremely accurate guesses by a newspaper saying there are expected between 10,000 and one million attendees.

I am pretty confident he will be well received, as most people are very hopeful he will bring in some fresh air and good politics when elected President, and they are certain he is more capable of working together with Europeans, and here especially with Germans, as compared to any Republican candidate.
I guess he will ask for more commitment of Germany in Afghanistan which probably won't be answered by great applause, but I doubt too many people attending the speech expect anything different.
I guess he will balance the speech to have a favourable crowd that produces some nice noise for the TV cameras, and at the same time having some great soundbytes for the viewers in the states.

Some people might have too rosy a picture of him and once he assumes office it will be quite an awakening for some, but all in all I guess he will be a much better President when it comes to foreign relations than Bush has ever been and McCain will ever be. And I guess that will come through today.

So, as long as he doesn't ask for German troops to be deployed to Iraq not much harm can be done and it should be well received.

 

[Diemen]

I can't help but think that Romney would not be a good choice for McCain. McCain already has a tenuous relationship with the religious right. I don't see Romney doing much to improve that. The silver lining I see if McCain does choose Romney (and Romney doesn't become a born again religious zealot to get the vote, although considering his religion in america speech, that might not be too far a leap) is that it may signal a more clear shift away from the religious right as the key voter base.

But I'm not holding my breath on that.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Washington Post

WASHINGTON - Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has told close associates that he has had "very serious" conversations with Sen. Barack Obama about joining the Democratic presidential ticket and has provided documents to the campaign as it combs through his background, according to several sources close to Kaine.

Sens. Evan Bayh (Ind.) and Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.) are also being seriously vetted by the campaign staff, according to sources with knowledge of the process.

Democrats who have discussed possible choices with campaign officials and have knowledge of the vetting process said others being considered include Sens. Christopher J. Dodd (Conn.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and former senator Sam Nunn (Ga.). Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel (Neb.) and Democratic Sen. Jack Reed (R.I.) are mentioned as long shots.

 

[2861U2]

Washington Post

WASHINGTON - Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has told close associates that he has had "very serious" conversations with Sen. Barack Obama about joining the Democratic presidential ticket and has provided documents to the campaign as it combs through his background, according to several sources close to Kaine.

Sens. Evan Bayh (Ind.) and Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.) are also being seriously vetted by the campaign staff, according to sources with knowledge of the process.

Democrats who have discussed possible choices with campaign officials and have knowledge of the vetting process said others being considered include Sens. Christopher J. Dodd (Conn.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and former senator Sam Nunn (Ga.). Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel (Neb.) and Democratic Sen. Jack Reed (R.I.) are mentioned as long shots.

I would love him to pick Kaine. A pro-life, anti-gay marriage VP will not sit well among some Democrats. Plus, he's not too well-known and doesn't carry any foreign policy experience which the ticket would benefit from.

 

[Irvine511]

i predict Biden.

 

[maycocksean]

I would love him to pick Kaine. A pro-life, anti-gay marriage VP will not sit well among some Democrats. Plus, he's not too well-known and doesn't carry any foreign policy experience which the ticket would benefit from.

But wouldn't YOU like to have someone like that in office?

 

[2861U2]

But wouldn't YOU like to have someone like that in office?

Sure, if he were a conservative. Aside from those two issues, Kaine is still a liberal. Just because he's pro-life doesn't mean I would, for even a second, consider voting for Obama. I would guess most conservatives feel that way. Obama needs to pick a VP who would further secure the Democratic base. Polls show that McCain has more support among Republicans than Obama does among Democrats, so I don't see how a pro-life, anti-gay marriage running mate helps him that much, at least as far as that statistic is concerned.

 

[BVS]

I would love him to pick Kaine. A pro-life, anti-gay marriage VP will not sit well among some Democrats.

Kaine supports choice and opposed an amendment to the Virginia Constitution that would define marriage as that between one man and one woman, though he has publicly stated that he personally opposes same-sex marriage.

 

[2861U2]

Kaine supports choice

From where do you gather that he's not pro-life? Everything I've read describes him as such.

 

[BVS]

Possible Barack Obama Running Mate Tim Kaine Not Pro-Life, Backs Abortion