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McCain under pressure to pick running mate

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He may have your trust, FairandBalanced, but he hasn't mine. Evenr since 2000, when he lost the GOP Presidential Nomination to George W. Bush, he's been acting like a sore loser, opposing the President on many key, conservative issues. When he "won" the nomination, I felt sick to my stomach. Unless he gets a great, conservative Veep, he'll get nothing from me, and neither will Obama.

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McCain will pick a great VP.

His judgement is so sound. I trust him as much as i trust Sean Hannitty 100%.

Thank god we have someone who will carry on the great work of GW, and enable our greta country to prosper. Long live the American dream.

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If McCain's goin' to get my vote, he'll hafta' knock my socks off and surprise the daylights out of me with his veep pick. Otherwise, Blue_Tiger's doing a write-in....

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Mickey Mouse might be an apt choice, given the GOP's chances of success this time

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Mitt Romney...lost to Mike Huckabee who had a much more bare-bones campaign apparatus. Was it due to Romney's Mormon religion? Or Iowa farm folk couldn't relate to him?

IMO when Hackabee made mormonism a hot-button issue he doomed both himself and Romney and the more conservative wing of the GOP. He made the Baptists and thier ilk wary of Romney but simultaneously made himself look more like a preacher than a president. He split the conservative vote leaving McCain with an open path to the finish line.

I suspect Romney pulled out early to save his $'s for a potential future run.

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I come from the Bible belt and a very red state and, while it has been over 20 years since I actually lived there, I can only see this as something that people will have to get past. I'm not sure how easily that can be done.

My grandmother was happiest living in a place that was far from shopping malls and traffic and congestion. She was also a die-hard Republican who found it odd former Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill spent decades in Washington while his wife remained in Boston. But a lot of it was, in fact, that he was a Democrat. If he'd been a Republican she wouldn't have given it two minutes thought.

Most people who see John McCain and his current wife, Cindy, will likely conclude he left the first Mrs. McCain for a younger woman. Men who seek youthful female companionship, however, usually continue that pattern. Plus, Cindy McCain opted to return to Arizona after only a few years in DC as a politician's wife. As someone observed during the Gary Condit scandal, "Gee, he's here and his wife lives in the district in California. Is it any great surprise that he fools around?"

If evidence (as opposed to innuendo) surfaces that McCain was involved with anyone while leading a solo life in Washington, then that could be a problem. Nonetheless, while not everyone can accept martial fidelity is unrelated to executive ability, I think we're moving away from campaigns dominated by such a focus on private lives (which have been at the expense of public issues).

Mitt Romney spent months and dropped a wad laying the groundwork for a win in Iowa to position himself as a front-runner. Then he lost to Mike Huckabee who had a much more bare-bones campaign apparatus. Was it due to Romney's Mormon religion? Or Iowa farm folk couldn't relate to him? I don't know.

Nowhere have the economic effects of globalization, promoted by free market Republicans, been felt more strongly than rural America. Other than Wal-Mart, there's little sign of economic vitality. I guess my point is if residents of such communities are not really charged up by the Republican ticket, they simply won't vote.

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Betzee,

You could be right, but I thought we were discussing a scenario in which Romney becomes the VP candidate. I know what you're saying about his looks and demeanor and the difference between his appearance and the Republican base's perception of its own. I think, however, people will vote for him if he projects "winner". He's kind of like a Dan Quayle with gravitas or a Pat Riley coaching a country instead of a basketball team.

I don't think McCain's divorce will necessarily be a factor in and of itself. I'm not even sure that Giuliani's would have been. However, my question concerned Romney's religion if tied on a ticket with McCain's divorce and his current somewhat morganatic marriage. I come from the Bible belt and a very red state and, while it has been over 20 years since I actually lived there, I can only see this as something that people will have to get past. I'm not sure how easily that can be done.

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SezWho,

I disagree. I think Romney's looks and demeanor set him too far apart from the Republican Party base, much of which is rural and working class. It really showed when he equated one of his son's driving a Winnebago through every county in Iowa with tours of duty in Iraq. Can they relate to this guy?

I also doubt McCain's divorce will be much of a factor. He, like Ronald Reagan, has enjoyed a long and stable second union. This is quite different from Rudy Guiliani's situation which, moreover, played out in the public eye. Many women, regardless of political beliefs, felt he treated the mother of his children very shabbily. Not to mention the kids. It's fair to ask, can we entrust someone whose private life is such a mess with the top job? The voters rendered their judgment.

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Betzee,

I think the key may be what the voters want their vice-president to look like. Even at that, I'm not sure that Huckabee was correct in his assessment. Those who at heart are even a little bit royalist will always want their leaders to look as though they have a passing understanding of noblesse oblige.

We'll never stop going up, hat in hand, to the big house on the hill and asking the patroon for a boon favor. And we need to know that he's there when we need him. I think that we don't mind if our leaders look like the guys who lay us off as long as they also look like guys who recognize their responsibility to us when they do.

But that may not be Romney.

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Mitt Romney clearly covets the job while others have backed away, perhaps sensing it would be better to run after the Republicans have been out of power.

During the primaries the source of Mitt Romney's wealth was never put under the microscope. In fact it was "leveraged buy-outs." As he himself explained to the Boston Globe, "I didn't want to invest in start-ups where the success of the enterprise depended upon something that was out of our control," Romney recalled recently, 'such as 'Could Dr. X make the technology work?'."

Leveraged buy-outs entail creating more efficient entities by consolidating smaller ones, resulting in lay-offs and, in some cases, outsourcing of jobs. Huckabee got at this bit when he released an advertisement declaring, "Voters want a president who looks like the guy you work with, not the guy who laid you off."

Whether Romney's business background is what the nation needs at this juncture is debatable. It would work better if he had enjoyed success as a venture capitalist.

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Betzee,

Romney is the one personality that I am aware of now that could possibly induce me to vote for McCain. However, given McCain's divorce, I wonder how that choice would sit with Christian conservatives.

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I think McCain will go with Mitt Romney (who, in contrast to other serious contenders, clearly wants to be on the ticket.) Romney struck out on his own after dropping a wad and realizes that the only route to the top job is through the vice presidency. He would be following in the footsteps of George HW Bush.

Now that means McCain's claims that Obama's lack of military record represents a national security go right out the window. Ditto for charges of flip-flopping. But Romney brings expertise McCain sorely lacks in an election that is rapidly shaping up to be about the economy.

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I like Romney. Most Republicans seemed not to.

I think the more conservative vote was split while McCain quickly became the only contender for the moderate-to-liberal GOP voters since Giuliani dropped out so quickly.

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The republicans could only pray for a real republican like Ron Paul as McCain's running mate. Not someone who says they are a republican and actually goes against the republican values. < :-)

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The Marion - Ron Paul is not going to be McCain's veep.

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"if Americans make another huge mistake and actually elect McCain"

Sushi, you don't actually believe McCain can beat Obama, do you? Are you getting worried? Tee hee!

Taka: "I would be thrilled if McCain chose Sen Jindal... Jindal... has even less experience than Sen Obama"

Wow! Is that possible?

As someone who plans on voting for Sen McCain ( like the majority of the folks at Yokosuka ) I would be thrilled if Condi Rice would change her mind and agree to be McCain's veep.

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To enrich McCain's political "ticket" there should be a Vice President who has historical knowledge of our Constitution and the foibles of the Federal Reserve plus the income tax picture and the "entitlements."

I feel Ron Paul would bolster McCain's Presidency.

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sez, oh, ok, now I understand. thanks for the clarification!

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McCain should choose whoever will improve his chances of being elected most. The question is...who is that?

Sen. Obama? ;-)

Taka

Nah. I'm thinking

Senator Olympia Snowe myself. Now there would be a good choice for Veep.

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McCain should choose whoever will improve his chances of being elected most. The question is...who is that?

Sen. Obama? ;-)

Taka

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skipthesong,

I think you are reading far too much into the post. I haven't said anything about what "should" happen. I have said that I believe that 8 years of dour white guys has turned the electorate off of old white guys. I don't mind if you disagree.

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Sez, basically I read your post as that these so called white men should no longer be leading the country and I thought I posted a factual counter. Because if that is what you meant, then McC and O both will have to give the VP spot to a non-white man and the only one I can think of would be Richardson, who is half Mexican. But then again, Caribbeans and Mexicans have a big riff so that could hurt a bit in Florida, New Jersey, and New York. Don't know who would VP for McC though.

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Helter Skelter,

Yes, you are missing something. In logical terms it would be called the excluded middle.

I like Romney. Most Republicans seemed not to.

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skipthesong,

I don't know how to take your post at all. I don't think I have described any other types of men. And if you know how I intended my post to be taken, why would you take it any differently?

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I guess anything is possible in this political season." I am in the firm belief that you, people, will vote for the person the media tells you to. Its just that powerful and O has them in his hands!

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After 8 years of dour white men, a ticket of old white men will not likely work." Sez, I don't know how to take that, but there are a lot of places, several of the largest cities run by the other types of men you describe here and most, if not all as far as I know, are in dire straights. Your post can be taken very differently than you intended it to be.

"Crist will be John McCain's running mate. After 30 years as an unmarried gay man, he has found a woman who will provide him with the cover he needs in the Republican party. Either that, or he's marrying her for her money. She's got a lot more of it than he does. That worked for McCain, so it would only raise his respect for Crist." You are right, he does lack national recognition. I'm putting my money on Jidal. Don't know who to bet on for O's VP though

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SezWho,

No, I don't support that.

You unequivocally believe McCain is too old to be president (confusion, forgetfullness, loss of recognition, etc.). Yet you don't believe there should be any upper age limit on the presidency. I must be missing something. Please explain.

Mitt Romney is the best choice for McCain. Not only is he good looking, young, charismatic, and all the other superficial characteristics people like in a candidate, but he's a billionaire. Since Obama has flip-flopped on campaign finance reform, McCain's gonna need the extra money.

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Helter Skeleter,

No, I don't support that. But if you are determined to put words in my mouth, I can't stop you. It's intellectually bankrupt, but, hey!

McCain is in a tough spot as far as his vice-presidential pick is concerned. Reagan at a similar age went with someone 13 years younger than himself. Both Giuliani and Romney are older than that. After 8 years of dour white men, a ticket of old white men will not likely work.

I think Pawlenty would shore up McCain's conservative credentials, but I don't know how Catholics would react to someone who converted to Protestantism. One would hope not unfavorably. Both Pawlenty and Crist lack national recognition and Jindal would be a giant roll of the dice.

While McCain must select someone younger, he cannot select someone who is so young that it makes McCain look even more long in the tooth.

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Skip

I am expecting a landslide in O's favor regardless on who they pick for VPs

I would tend to agree. But remember McCain came out of nowhere, and I mean nowhere, to get the republican nomination. And Hilary, who was the presumptive democratic nominee, crashed and burned. I guess anything is possible in this political season.

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Dear Mister Song, the liberal rag Newsweek is very worried and doesn't think that Barak Hussein Obama is gonna win in any landslide:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/145737

And it looks like it's gettin' worse for him week by week.

Good.

USAR

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why bother looking for a VP? Let's be realistic. Does McC really have a chance against O? Sure, he may garner quite a number of votes, but I am expecting a landslide in O's favor regardless on who they pick for VPs. And, does a VP really make any difference to most voters, hell, whenever I get a chance to go back to the states and watch Jay Leno, he asks people who so and so is and they don't even know 90% of the politicians they were asked; even I didn't know them.

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I third Mitt 'The Stormin' Mormon' Romney.

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Mitt Romney, of course.

USAR

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Sezwho,

So you'd support putting upper age limits on public office and businesses. At least you're honest. How about we make it, say, age 63? That seems like a good round number.

Moderator: All readers back on topic please. The subject is who McCain will pick for his running mate.

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Helter Skelter,

Thanks for quoting me. And thanks for the accusation about discrimination. But when I say that I wonder how many 72-year-olds would vote for McCain knowing what they know about being 72, I don't think that's discrimination.

I'm a pretty energetic 63 but I wouldn't want the problems of the world, let alone the problems of the country coming at me 24/7. The 72-year-olds that I know, even the healthy ones have a medicine cabinet that's peppered with plastic bottles saying "prescribed by Dr. So and So." They have as many bad days as they have good.

Questioning McCain because of his age is totally different than questioning him because of race or gender. Race and gender do not automatically bring serious health issues. Age does--not the least of which is confusion, forgetfullness, not being able to access ones vocabulary, loss of recognition.

I don't think that there are many Fortune 500 company's that would embrace the leadership of a man of McCain's age unless he were absolutely the only qualified man for the job. McCain is certainly not that. You are inventing an issue of discrimination where it does not exist. And in so doing you are failing to discriminate between legitimate issue and mean-spirited attack.

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HelterSkelter, we have a provision in our Constitution where if the POTUS becomes physically or mentally incapacitated during his tenure in office, we can take him out back behind the barn and shoot him.

Then the VP steps in and become terrified of becomin' incapacitated.

USAR

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obama already released his health records. It was one page.

No, he didn't. He released a one-page note from his doctor summarizing his tests.

It wouldn't bother me, except that we still can't see his birth certificate; or the client list at the law firm which employed him;or his academic records. Why all this secrecy?

I think I agree here with superlib. McCain should pick a VP who'll help him win.His choice will probably be purely strategic. Should he go with Huckabee though, I think I'd be tempted to go with Obama - depending of course on his choice for Veep.

I definitely think Obama's choice will be the more revealing one. More people are commenting that Obama appears to be a real narcissist, and of a sort we have never seen reach the heights that he has in American politics. His staff, and the Rove-like Mr Axelrod, had better be careful in this area. His narcissism doesn't bother his supporters on the far Left. They aren't aware of it, because they as individuals tend to be much more narcissistic than those in the center or on the right, but independents are picking up on it.

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"I wonder how many 72-year-olds would vote for him knowing what they know about being 72."

"the veep is going to need to be ready to assume the presidency after McCain's heart gives out."

"and even if McCain is mentally sound now, who is to say he will stil be that way in 1-2 years?"

"But unless there is some specific concern--as there is with McCain because of his age..."

"But if McCain wins he will just take naps like all or our grandfathers do when they get up in years."

As undecidedbout08 said, discrimination against age is one of the more repugnant forms of discrimination. And it's far more pervasive than discrimination against women, blacks, hispanics, etc. Yet the JT socialists, who always pontificate about the evils of discrimination, are the first in line to discriminate and ridicule when there's political gain to be had. I would have expected nothing less.

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McCain should choose whoever will improve his chances of being elected most. The question is...who is that?

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obama already released his health records. It was one page. McCain released his for six hours for review by journalists and they were thousands of pages long.

But if McCain wins he will just take naps like all or our grandfathers do when they get up in years. Like Reagan did half the time.

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I love this latest McCain ad. He's blaming Obama for high gas prices.

I'm sure John McCain remembers his last vote in the Senate on offshore drilling.

NO!! NO!! NO!! NO!! < :-)

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I'm waiting for Liberman to be selected for Vice President. Or will he just carry John's bags the way he has the part few years. < :-)

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With Jindal onboard, the neo-conservative smear machine will no longer be able to use inexperience angle against Sen. Obama. Jindal is younger and has even less experience than Sen. Obama. .

You don't know much about Governor Jindal, do you?

Doesn't matter, I think the Republican Party big shots will pressure him to fulfill his term as governor of Louisiana before moving on to the national scene, which he is undoubtedly bound for.

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Taka,

It's unclear the McCain campaign can be righted even with a good VP pick. Another name which has been floated is Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of NYC. But he's an immensely successful man both in the private sector and as mayor. Is he going to be content as McCain's VP?

McCain is claiming Obama was "wrong then and wrong now." But since Maliki agreed with Obama's time table, he must be wrong too. This whole thing is unraveling fast; Iraq is a sovereign country but the Iraqis have no say in when we leave unless they tell us what the neocons want to hear.

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Skip, Honestly, as someone who plans on voting for Sen. Obama, I would be thrilled if Sen. McCain chose Gov. Jindal. With Jindal onboard, the neo-conservative smear machine will no longer be able to use inexperience angle against Sen. Obama. Jindal is younger and has even less experience than Sen. Obama. .

I still like william kristol's idea of clarence thomas. Since I don't think McCain will win, not only would thomas not be VP, he'd be off the SCOTUS as well. Win/win for everyone!

Taka

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I don't think any 72-year-old's doctor--or anyone's doctor for that matter--is going guarantee health 1 to 2 years from now.

I agree that Obama should release his medical records now that McCain has. But unless there is some specific concern--as there is with McCain because of his age and his known ill-treatment at the hands of the North Vietnamese--why not be content with his doctor's finding of excellent health?

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UD08: Face it, these days, people just simply dislike old white guys on the right these days. Notice no one mentions Carter or Kennedy's age when they endorse O.

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And even if McCain is mentally sound now, who is to say he will stil be that way in 1-2 years?

His doctor.

I am fairly certain McCain's medical records are available.

Are Barack Obama's medical records available?

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Sez - "but I wonder how many 72-year-olds would vote for him knowing what they know about being 72."

Precisely.

And even if McCain is mentally sound now, who is to say he will stil be that way in 1-2 years?

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Jimmy Carter was president 28 years ago. McCain seeks to be president today. I believe that if he were to be elected he would be the oldest president ever to be elected for a first term. Age is an issue.

Of course he should not be discriminated against because of his age. But he should be required to show that he has the mental agility and the physical stamina to maintain that agility. To date, I don't think he's done badly for a near-72-year-old but I wonder how many 72-year-olds would vote for him knowing what they know about being 72.

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because if Americans make another huge mistake and actually elect McCain, the veep is going to need to be ready to assume the presidency after McCain's heart gives out.

Can you explain why we should believe your moronic discrimination against the elderly is any less repugnant than discrimination based on race or sex?

Nelson Mandela and Jimmy Carter are both older than McCain. I can't recall any commentators from your side of the political spectrum bashing them for the good fortune of reaching 70 or 80...

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How about Eddie Murphy? He could take away some of Obama's votes.

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McCain's choice of veep needs to be someone who is ready to take over on Day 1, because if Americans make another huge mistake and actually elect McCain, the veep is going to need to be ready to assume the presidency after McCain's heart gives out.

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Wish McCain would calm down. At least I want him around until the election. At the current rate, his rants against Obama are going to damage his health.

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"Wasn't that also a major complaint that when VP Quayle did nothing?" Better to do nothing as VP than to follow Cheney's example. See Mineta's testimony at the 9/11 Commission, where he had assumed command of NORAD(!). See the reports on Cheney's hand in "losing" a nuke last year. To say nothing of shooting his buddy in the face. Yep, an invisible reassuring presence, that's what the VP should be. Anyday. Not a separate branch of the Executive.

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betzee, I was implying that Jindal is very similar to Obama with the only exception of parties. Better for McCain to pick an upper mid-career running mate in his/her 50s-early 60s." Not if he wants to reach those usual blue collar whites who are barely making it.

LIBERTAS: "They should be a la Quayle, a la Rockerfeller etc. etc. etc." Wasn't that also a major complaint that when VP Quayle did nothing?

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Barack this...Barack that..., he's ready to blow a stack,

In a campaign the presidential candidate takes the high road, painting a portrait of how his leadership will strengthen an already great nation, while the VP is the "hatchet man" who attacks the other team, especially the person running for president. The problem here is that McCain has appropriated the wrong role. In short, he needs to pick his VP quick so he can take the high road.

Bobby Jindal is certainly not the person to attack Obama's lack of military record. Nor would he get much traction out of hammering on his lack of experience. Better for McCain to pick an upper mid-career running mate in his/her 50s-early 60s.

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Whoever either of these guys pick as running mates should have nowhere near the powers that Darth Cheney assumed unto himself. They should be a la Quayle, a la Rockerfeller etc. etc. etc. Cut ribbons, kiss babies and wait for the call that the POTUS is dead. Then get sworn in. Until that point s/he should be invisible!

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Louisiana Gov Bobby Jindal may be the one to scare the heck out of Obama.

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"Mitt Romney"

I always thought that was a good name for a quarterback.

McCain's vice president... hmmm... difficult! It was so easy with Mike Huckabee - Huck and Chuck!

McCain: "If he ( Obama ) had his way, we would have been out ( of Iraq ) last March. We never would have succeeeded and we would have had defeat. He was wrong then, he is wrong now."

I agree with that.

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I've really enjoyed watching McCain's media time since Barack went over seas.

When he does get media time, he's as pissed as wet hen. Barack this...Barack that..., he's ready to blow a stack, but can't let his temper get the best of him. Boy he swings those and pounds the air.

I don't know if picking a running mate will do it. But I'm waiting to see what this little man's got next up his sleeve. < :-)

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