Ron Paul takes the lead in Iowa.

[Dinner]

What do you bet Mittens is promising Santorum the V.P. spot as long as he stays in the race?

[Imran Siddiqui]

Santorum gets no where close to the VP slot.

[Dinner]

True but who would make a better VP for Romney? Rubio?

[rah]

The REPUGS won't consider nominating someone that can't beat Obama bad enough. I'm sure they'll be able to find a VP candidate that will guarantee that they lose.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

I know conventional wisdom is that Rubio is the likely VP. I think that Christie is higher up on the short list though.

[Dinner]

With Republicans claiming Obama was too inexperienced with just half a term in the senate it would be hard to justify an inexperienced VP with just half a term as governor. Though maybe a case could be made that VPs don't matter as much as Presidents.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Right, because half a Senate term in the case of Rubio is the ultimate smart call as evidenced by the Obama experience.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Christie is even more moderate than Romney is, though.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Irrelevent. The intention is to provide the most effective attack dog (thus fortifying Mitt's hands off let others take the attacks to Obama approach) . And while Rubio can fill that role, Christie would be much better at it, and has shown time again a love of the stage and zinging soundbite.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Appearances do matter, however. VPs are not merely attack dogs, but also to shore up some weakness the candidate has. So, for example, Obama chose Biden, because he had a weakness on experience and foreign policy (same reason Reagan chose George W. Bush) & George W. Bush picked Dan Quayle for youthfulness (which probably wasn't a great idea, but whatever).

Romney needs to have the Evangelical base accept him as a conservative. So he needs to pick a conservative and an evangelical. I think a moderate Catholic Governor from the Northeast would not help him.

[OzzyKP]

I bet Christie holds out till 2016 to make his own run. I think Rubio would be a good choice too. Though what about Jindal? He has totally disappeared from the radar lately. Minnesota guy possibly too.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Romney & Pawlenty would be the most boring ticket ever. And I'm even counting Dole & Kemp.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Appearances do matter, however. VPs are not merely attack dogs, but also to shore up some weakness the candidate has. So, for example, Obama chose Biden, because he had a weakness on experience and foreign policy (same reason Reagan chose George W. Bush) & George W. Bush picked Dan Quayle for youthfulness (which probably wasn't a great idea, but whatever).

Romney needs to have the Evangelical base accept him as a conservative. So he needs to pick a conservative and an evangelical. I think a moderate Catholic Governor from the Northeast would not help him.

Disagree. Romney has the south regardless of whether he had Satan as his VP pick. No way in hell they vote for Obama and moreover will come out in droves because it is Obama regardless of who the GOP candidate is. Battleground NE read Pa and Oh is where Christie helps.


Assuming Romney gets past the primaries and is in the general election he can essentially say "piss off" to the evangelicals as long as his VP pick is charismatic. Christie fits that bill. He gets the more important undecided independents to swing to Romney's side.

Consolidating the base and motivating the base in the general is not as necessary in this election (as the base will be electrified regardless of who the GOP nominee is) as getting the undecideds. Romney needs star power to provide oomph to his decided blandness, likewise a role that Christie provides (IMO moreso than Rubio).

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

It would be comedic gold watching the Biden-Christie debate.


I can see Christie thanking Biden for his best wishes (in San Francisco) for the Giants to win the Superbowl.

[Felch]

So, for example, Obama chose Biden, because he had a weakness on experience and foreign policy (same reason Reagan chose George W. Bush) & George W. Bush picked Dan Quayle for youthfulness (which probably wasn't a great idea, but whatever).

George H.W. Bush.