<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>May 21, 2008 McCain to Meet 3 Possible Running Mates By ADAM NAGOURNEY Senator John McCain is planning to meet this weekend with at least three potential Republican running mates at a gathering at his ranch in Arizona, suggesting that he is stepping up his search for a vice president now that the Democratic contest appears basically decided, according to Republicans familiar with Mr. McCain’s plans. Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida, Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts and a one-time rival for the Republican nomination, have all accepted invitations to visit with Mr. McCain at his ranch in Sedona, these Republicans said. After a week of campaigning, Mr. McCain is heading home on Friday for three days without a public schedule. His campaign described this as a social weekend that would include a number of couples, and — as has been its policy it declined to discuss any aspect of the vice presidential search. “We don’t talk about the V.P. selection process,” said Steve Schmidt a senior adviser. In addition to Mr. Crist, Mr. Jindal and Mr. Romney, Mr. McCain’s guest list includes some of top his political counselors, among them Charlie Black, a senior strategist, and Senator Lindsay Graham of South Carolina, his frequent traveling companion and probably his closest colleague in the Senate. If the gathering does not involve actual interviews, as some of Mr. McCain’s associates said Wednesday, it will provide Mr. McCain with a chance to know some potential running mates in a social context. Mr. McCain is known as a social and gregarious candidate and senator, and his associates said personal chemistry would be a key consideration in his choice. The gathering is taking place on a weekend when Mr. McCain is releasing his health care records, itself a high-profile event that could — by design or not — draw attention away from the event at the Arizona ranch. The identities of the potential running mates who have been invited to Sedona is not a surprise: Mr. Romney, Mr. Crist and Mr. Jindal have been on most lists of potential running mates, and they have made no secret of their interest. And even the perception that they are under consideration could be more a matter of appearance than reality: the mere impression that Mr. McCain is considering Mr. Crist of Florida, for example, could by itself help him in a critical state where Mr. McCain campaigned Wednesday Still, Mr. McCain’s gathering comes as Senator Barack Obama appears to have all but nailed down the Democratic nomination in his competition with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, and its timing suggests an acceleration in reaching a decision that several Republicans said could prove critical to Mr. McCain’s success in a tough political environment for their party. Mr. McCain, arguably more than most presidential candidates, has a lot riding on choosing a running mate who could make up for any weaknesses in his own résumé and give him a boost in his public standing. Mr. McCain himself has said his choice of a running mate would draw particular scrutiny from voters, given his age; he is now 71 year old, or “as old as dirt,” as he likes to joke, while quickly adding that he is in good health. More than that, with Mr. Obama’s selection now almost assured, Mr. McCain is contemplating a contest involving an energized electorate that has put a focus on race and gender. Earlier this month, Mr. McCain said he had assembled a list of about 20 potential running mates. He said he had not decided when he would make a decision; his aides made clear that he would keep the process as closely held as possible.. Among the other potential running mates are Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Rob Portman, the former director of the Office of Management and Budget. Mr. Crist, a fairly popular first-term governor, has been included on various lists of potential running mates for Mr. McCain, who he endorsed shortly before Florida’s primary in January, effectively helping Mr. McCain secure the nomination. He said Wednesday that he and Mr. McCain had not discussed the prospect of his being on the ticket, and the two attended a fund-raiser in Miami on Tuesday night. The McCain campaign, Mr. Crist said, has not solicited the kind of personal information typically requested to vet possible running mates. As governor of Florida, Mr. Crist, 51, would bring a number of obvious assets to a Republican ticket, beginning with his popularity in a state that is almost always an electoral battleground — and where Mr. Obama appears to be struggling. His relative youth could also be an asset for Mr. McCain. In Florida, Mr. Crist has long been known for his affability and a campaign skills. Instantly recognizable because of his perpetual tan and striking white hair, Mr. Crist, who served as Florida’s attorney general before being elected governor in 2006, has also acquired a reputation as something of a hard-liner on law and order issues. He supports the death penalty, largely opposes restrictions on the rights of gun owners, early on earned the nickname "Chain Gang Charlie" because he favored allowing convicts to be used in road work, and has described himself as a "pro-life and pro-family" candidate. Mr. Romney, a former chief executive who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination this year, has made no secret of his desire to join Mr. McCain’s presidential ticket. As a vice president, Mr. Romney’s business background — including running the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics — could address concerns about Mr. McCain’s ability to manage the struggling economy. Mr. Romney has also proven himself to be a prolific fund-raiser, although he spent enormous sums of money during his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination and still could not beat Mr. McCain. And geographically, he brings little to the ticket, since he is unlikely to put Massachusetts in play for the Republicans. Mr. Jindal, who was born in Baton Rouge, La., to a family that had just arrived there from the Punjab area of India, took office as Louisiana’s governor in January after serving three years in the House of Representatives. Mr. Jindal, who was born a Hindu but became a Roman Catholic as a teenager, campaigned for governor as a social conservative, opposing human embryonic stem cell research and abortion in any form and favoring teaching “intelligent design” in schools as an alternative to evolution. But Mr. Jindal also has a reputation as a policy wonk, like the Clintons, with a specialty in health care issues. After graduating in 1991 from Brown University, where he majored in biology and public policy, and attending Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, Mr. Jindal worked for the management consulting firm McKinsey and Company and was executive director of the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare. He later served as secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and in the Bush administration as Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for planning and evaluation.</div> Link
I guess Rice really isn't available? I like all three of those guys, but I think if Rice will do it, I think McCain/Rice ticket would be the most difficult to beat. Mitt really wants this job though. Unlike Hillary, he doesn't have the ego to say no to VP. Crist is good, since you're going to need Florida to win the election. Jindal is extremely intriguing as well. He's only 36. Imagine a McCain/Jindal ticket, where the presidential candidate is 35 years older than the VP candidate.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Real @ May 21 2008, 08:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I guess Rice really isn't available? I like all three of those guys, but I think if Rice will do it, I think McCain/Rice ticket would be the most difficult to beat. Mitt really wants this job though. Unlike Hillary, he doesn't have the ego to say no to VP. Crist is good, since you're going to need Florida to win the election. Jindal is extremely intriguing as well. He's only 36. Imagine a McCain/Jindal ticket, where the presidential candidate is 35 years older than the VP candidate.</div> Was Mitt popular enough with Christians? Not that I personally was offended by his beliefs but it seemed to be the dagger for his nomination. Aside from possibly carrying their home state, VPs don't have too much of an impact. I think McCain should focus on one of the tightly contested states needed for Victory (like Ohio for example). Not that I'm wishing him luck or anything, but it seems logical.
None of the 3 remaining candidates have real executive branch experience. Romney brings that to a McCain ticket, and is clearly ready and able to step in if something happens to McCain. I'm surprised Rudy isn't mentioned, as he is also a guy with real executive branch experience. It would be really harmful, down-ticket, to select Crist. He will better help McCain win the state as governor, and the republicans will still have the governorship of FLA locked up. I'm underwhelmed by the choices mentioned. Rice would be much more interesting a choice, and there's another person who's an obvious great choice: Christine Todd Whitman.
^ I can't stand her. The Sixers were thinking of moving to NJ while she was governor, and she turned them down flat. Soon Jersey will have 0 NBA teams...
^^^ She was the last republican governor of NJ, maybe putting that state into play. And a woman, for political gender factors.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Denny Crane @ May 21 2008, 09:47 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>^^^ She was the last republican governor of NJ, maybe putting that state into play. And a woman, for political gender factors.</div> I think she's a good choice, but I'm not sure that it would put NJ in play for McCain. True, NJ would vote for a moderate Republican, but NJ hasn't voted for a Republican since the 80's. Considering NJ is one of the most liberal states in the nation, combined with their disapproval of Bush, I'm not sure if it puts NJ in play automatically. I must say that could change, if U.S. Attorney Chris Christie (the guy who said illegal immigration wasn't a criminal matter) runs for Governor as he is expected to do, then NJ's next governor could be Republican. Her daughter is running for Congress though.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>May 22, 2008 - 11:51pm Whitman likes Ridge for VP By Max Pizarro Category: PresidentTags: Tom Ridge, John McCain, Christie Todd Whitman MOUNTAINSIDE - Former Gov. Christie Todd Whitman says she likes Tom Ridge as a vice-presidential candidate for Sen. John McCain. Ultimately the decision hinges on McCain's own comfort level, Whitman acknowledges, but based on her own work with Ridge - both when he was governor of Pennsylvania and head of Homeland Security - she belives he would be a good choice. Backing her daughter, candidate Kate Whitman, the former governor was in attendance at the 7th Congressional District Republican Primary debate at the Mountainside Municipal building on Thursday evening.</div> Link I think Tom Ridge would be an excellent choice as VP, not sure how he would help him in winning different states though.
