on McCain's Veep choice
There is no way McCain chooses either Joe Lieberman or Bobby Jindal for his VP slot, but both are great names to throw around for us to hear.
Lieberman serves a couple of purposes. One, thinking about naming him as a running mate shows moderate and independent voters that McCain is still a "maverick" willing to buck his own party. Lieberman, remember, was Al Gore's VP pick just eight years ago and was booted out of his party by a bunch of upstart ultra-liberals who only care about one issue (war). He'll be speaking at the Republican convention, and I just hope he doesn't turn into Zell Miller.
Two, floating his name out there has seriously pissed off the GOP's ultra-conservatives who only care about one issue (abortion). They've called the campaign to voice disapproval, threatening to withdraw support from the nominee if that Jew Democrat baby-killer is on the ticket. So when McCain chooses someone else (as he will), the Radical Right can claim victory and assure their sheep that they still control the Republican Party. McCain looks appropriately cowed and can appropriate their money and votes. Everybody wins!
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal serves a similar purpose. He's young. He's dynamic. He has Bobby Kennedy's hair, if not his flair. He never in a million years will be on the GOP national ticket. Why not? He ain't white.
Race is a factor in this race, and if you don't think so, you're a fool. Or at least a Pollyanna. If McCain puts Jindal on the ticket, he loses a huge swath of support from people who won't vote for Obama because he's black (or, at least, not entirely white). Those people, if they were going to vote, would vote McCain by default. While that might not matter in some states, those votes are too important in places like Virginia, Ohio, and Florida. Suddenly, McCain's lead in the Deep South will shrink and the GOP might have to spend money down here where they can't afford it; worse, Lord knows what Jindal would do to down-ticket races when GOP candidates are asked about their party's VP choice. (Don't believe me? There are Democrats who won't talk about Obama and won't even go to the convention.)
McCain will play it safe. He's spent eight years running for President, kowtowing to the very people he once called "agents of intolerance." He'll follow the Republican political campaign playbook to the letter and continue to suck up to the people who tried to destroy him in 2000, back when he really was something of a maverick.
I was wrong about his picking Mike Huckabee, who seems to have gone out of his way to piss off the nominee. I still wouldn't be surprised by Haley Barbour of Mississippi, though pundits are now leaning more towards Minnesota's Jim Pawlenty or Massachusetts/Michigan/Utah's Mitt Romney. Picking Romney would be hilarious, since the ultra-conservatives hated him until they had to love him because they thought he was the only one who could beat McCain. Romney's such a tool, he'd be perfect as a VP candidate.
Lieberman serves a couple of purposes. One, thinking about naming him as a running mate shows moderate and independent voters that McCain is still a "maverick" willing to buck his own party. Lieberman, remember, was Al Gore's VP pick just eight years ago and was booted out of his party by a bunch of upstart ultra-liberals who only care about one issue (war). He'll be speaking at the Republican convention, and I just hope he doesn't turn into Zell Miller.
Two, floating his name out there has seriously pissed off the GOP's ultra-conservatives who only care about one issue (abortion). They've called the campaign to voice disapproval, threatening to withdraw support from the nominee if that Jew Democrat baby-killer is on the ticket. So when McCain chooses someone else (as he will), the Radical Right can claim victory and assure their sheep that they still control the Republican Party. McCain looks appropriately cowed and can appropriate their money and votes. Everybody wins!
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal serves a similar purpose. He's young. He's dynamic. He has Bobby Kennedy's hair, if not his flair. He never in a million years will be on the GOP national ticket. Why not? He ain't white.
Race is a factor in this race, and if you don't think so, you're a fool. Or at least a Pollyanna. If McCain puts Jindal on the ticket, he loses a huge swath of support from people who won't vote for Obama because he's black (or, at least, not entirely white). Those people, if they were going to vote, would vote McCain by default. While that might not matter in some states, those votes are too important in places like Virginia, Ohio, and Florida. Suddenly, McCain's lead in the Deep South will shrink and the GOP might have to spend money down here where they can't afford it; worse, Lord knows what Jindal would do to down-ticket races when GOP candidates are asked about their party's VP choice. (Don't believe me? There are Democrats who won't talk about Obama and won't even go to the convention.)
McCain will play it safe. He's spent eight years running for President, kowtowing to the very people he once called "agents of intolerance." He'll follow the Republican political campaign playbook to the letter and continue to suck up to the people who tried to destroy him in 2000, back when he really was something of a maverick.
I was wrong about his picking Mike Huckabee, who seems to have gone out of his way to piss off the nominee. I still wouldn't be surprised by Haley Barbour of Mississippi, though pundits are now leaning more towards Minnesota's Jim Pawlenty or Massachusetts/Michigan/Utah's Mitt Romney. Picking Romney would be hilarious, since the ultra-conservatives hated him until they had to love him because they thought he was the only one who could beat McCain. Romney's such a tool, he'd be perfect as a VP candidate.