I’m not sure Mike Huckabee could have received worse news than Mitt Romney’s endorsement of John McCain. Not because Huckabee had a chance to get the Republican nomination (that miracle ain’t coming) but because Romney suddenly looks like the man at the top of McCain’s VP list.
Those of us McCain supporters on the more moderate side of things have known all along that the senator’s troubles with the Republican base would almost certainly result in a less-than-centrist VP choice. A lot of us have been thinking McCain would ultimately have to make nice with the social conservative wing and pick a guy like Huckabee. But with the anti-McCain vitriol coming from the conservative punditocracy (who are more big business/law-and-order oriented than they are religious), Romney now seems like the more likely compromise – an outcome made all the more likely by his willingness to play by party tradition and try to end the nomination process in orderly fashion.
McCain could still end up going another direction. They don’t call him a maverick for nothing. But if I were making odds, I’d place Romney at about even for the VP nod. For Romney, it puts him in perfect position to easily secure the nomination next go around. For McCain, it will quicken the healing process and give all those pundits who’ve painted themselves into a corner a sneaky way out. We’ll know soon enough if this is where everything’s headed.
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1 Justin Gardner
February 15, 2008 @ 2:50 am CETInteresting, but I don’t think Mitt is remotely interested in the VP position, so today wasn’t about that. He wants to run for Prez in 2012, ala Reagan. That’s how his speech at CPAC last week and this move today positions him. At least that’s my guess.
2 ted
February 15, 2008 @ 5:38 am CETI think R0mney would accept VP slot – NOT because he was intrested in that position — but because I think he feels this would be best for the ticket, for winning the election for McCain and, hence, the nation — to defeat the Dems.
3 Justin Gardner
February 15, 2008 @ 6:40 am CETUltimately, I don’t think Romney gives a damn what would be better for the ticket. Remember, in 1976 Reagan was offered the VP slot too and he turned it down. He too had his eyes trained on 1980, and even Romney’s staff has said he’s perfectly positioned for 2012. But I’ve been surprised before. Just my gut on it tells me no. He doesn’t want to be the Republican John Edwards.
4 Jay_C
February 15, 2008 @ 1:44 pm CETI don’t think Romney really wants the VP spot either, he just endorsed McCain "for Republican party solidarity purposes" and to look like he is not a sore loser. I don’t think McCain would offer him the spot either, they hate each other. (did you see that forced handshake moment at the endorsement, very awkward) I think it is possible that Romney would possibly take some other slot in a McCain administration (Economic Advisor) or something to that effect. I also think Romney is looking to be POTUS in 2012. I don’t think a McCain presidency will make it two terms, unless the American People see the War on Terror is more of an issue than the economy as we approach 2012.
5 C Stanley
February 15, 2008 @ 2:10 pm CETI think it’s probably not about the VP slot too- and mostly agree with Justin, but I could see it either way. The only thing about the Reagan analogy though is that in this case, it might make more sense for Romney to consider accepting the VP position given that McCain’s age makes it unlikely that he’ll serve for two terms- so perhaps being second in line would make McCain’s VP the anointed one for 2012.
In any case, McCain’s team is not giving any details about their short list for VP, and they’ve indicated that they definitely won’t make that decision until the Democratic nominee is known. My take on that is that it’ll probably be more about regional politics than about shoring up any particular part of the GOP base. I’m thinking if Hillary is the nominee, that perhaps FL becomes more important so maybe he’d go with Crist- and if it’s Obama, maybe someone from the upper midwest like Pawlenty. I think it’s going to be a matter of electoral politics- determining whether McCain’s main goal is to hold the red states or to try to turn some purple ones red.
6 Jay
February 15, 2008 @ 10:19 pm CETI don’t care who you are or what you think - when you are asked to be VP, it is not likely you’ll say no, despite your future plans.
7 unitethegop.com
February 16, 2008 @ 6:25 pm CETWe want Romney for VP! Check out http://www.unitethegop.com
Even with Romney’s Endorsement of McCain we need to send the message to the GOP and McCain that Conservatives still want Romney. If we continue to vote for him in the upcoming primaries we will be able to convey that message effectively. Romney continued to get votes even after his suspension, and I have NO DOUBT he will continue to get votes after the endorsement. This will continue to gain delegates for him, even though ultimately the delegates will most likely vote for McCain at the Convention. At which point, we hope we have a McCain-Romney ticket.
8 Jay
February 17, 2008 @ 9:50 pm CETWell i think Romney is DEFINITELY running in 2012. His making nice now hs gained him a lot of ground with the folks who mistrusted him as a political opportunist.
The thing is, I’m relatively certain that McCain is a one-termer. The guy is, after all, 71 years old. So it’s possible Romney would take the VP slot if McCain admitted to him (privately of course) that he’d be the man in 4 years. But I think Romney would prefer to run as a washington outsider. I also doubt if MCain would offer it to him. He just doesn’t like the guy and there are other options to placate hard-core conservatives.
9 Rebecca
February 18, 2008 @ 4:23 am CETI am sure that I read somewhere that McCain stated that he would only serve for one term . That means if Rromney ran as his VP, then he would be a shoo-in for 2012.
http://www.unitethegop.com is dedicated to getting Romney on the ballot for VP. If you are interested, go check it out.The website has only been there a week and has had 10,000 visitors.
See what you think.
10 Denny
February 19, 2008 @ 8:53 am CETI have offered 28 reasons why I think John McCain should pick former Mass. Governor Mitt Romney as his V.P. running mate. I do not think Romney would be so foolish as to turn this position down if McCain were smart enough to offer it to him.
http://777denny.wordpress.com/2008/02/11/reason-27-why-john-mccain-should-pick-gov-romney-as-his-vp-now/
Go McCain-Romney 2008!
11 ConservativeEdge
February 24, 2008 @ 5:46 am CETWe, at UniteTheGOP want Romney for President also. We also want him to represent conservative principles in the White House as our vice president on a McCain-Romney ticket. In fact, we are forming a political action committee (PAC) to help Romney become vice president in 2008 and the presidency in 2012. Come and join us and unite your voice with ours for a McCain-Romney victory in 2008.
12 hillplus
February 26, 2008 @ 6:50 pm CETAs much as I want Romney any way I can get him, the VP spot is not traditionally a power spot. If Romney takes it and then McCain crashes and burns, then we don’t get what we ultimately want, that is Romney for president 2012.