There has been speculation the last several weeks that Mitt Romney could possibly be named John McCain's Vice President. Now, there's speculation that an announcement could be made by the end of the week.
Now, let me make this clear: I hope it's NOT MittFlop, even though it would definitely make things a little more interesting around here. However, if I were advising the McCain campaign, I would tell them to put aside their differences and pick Romney.
Why? (Not in any particular order...)
1. He look young, but not too young as to remind people just how old McCain is. He's a youthful 61.
2. John McCain admitted his biggest weakness is the economy. Why not bring in somebody who built his reputation turning companies and organizations around. Even though he's only been in politics 4 years, hebrings more executive experience than anyone else.
3. He's a nomad, which in this case is a good thing. His ties to Michigan help him some (even though not as much as the media would have you believe, IMO). His New England ties help in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. His Utah ties help him better understand Western Issues more than McCain does, which helps in swing states Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, and Montana. All four of those states voted for Bush in 2004, and are currently polling for Obama.
4. He has cred with the "values" people, which is an important Republican base McCain is struggling with.
5. His religion. Again, there is the values thing. Plus, Romney's worth at least a 5-point boost in Nevada and adds some to other western swing states. Obama currently leads Nevada by 2 points.
And, the negatives (again, not in any particular order)?
1. His religion. It could be a drag on the South, where Obama is showing some strength. However, since many of the same people who wouldn't vote for a Mormon also wouldn't vote for a black man, it's mostly a low turnout issue.
2. The bad blood between the two campaigns could be a distraction. There's lots of footage just waiting to be shown of the two men saying the other is unfit for the job.
3. Flip Flops are the last thing McCain wants to be talking about.
4. The John Edwards factor. That's when the VP nominee outshines the Presidential nominee on charisma.
5. Fund raising. I know that most media outlets are putting this in the positive category, but hear me out. Right now, Mitt can tour the country raising funds for McCain08, the RNC, the RCCC, the RSCC, 527s etc. If he's on the ticket, he can't go out fund raising as effectively. And, the McCain08 money must be raised and spent by September 4, when public financing kicks in.
Unless McCain/Romney changes it's mind about public financing......
-Bob
3 comments:
I respectfully disagree. How does Romney help McCain that much in Nevada, via increased LDS turnout? Maybe but not 5 percent. I don't see him doing much in Michigan and certainly not Ohio or Penn., where free trade is a swear word (and Romney is a captain of industry).
The SurveyUSA polling on this bares me out. Although Romney helped him "win Michigan" in May, a lot more of those polls have come out after that.
Plus, if Edwards is on Obama's ticket, McCain will be destroyed even with a different ideal VP choice in each state.
I think McCain's top choice would be Pawlenty or Crist, governors of two swing states McCain needs to win the presidency. However, I don't foresee any scenerio where McCain wins a Kerry state, let alone having a Kerry state win not be more than offset by a Bush state loss.
Why do people keep touting Romney as a great guy on the Economy? He is clearly not. He was good at a private business simply because he could buy up failing companies, lay off their workers, and sell the pieces. The only experience he has with the Economy is while Governor of Massachusetts. His state grew jobs 47th best in the country. That means 46 other Governors did a better job at putting people to work. His state economy grew 46th best in the nation. That means only 4 other Governors were worse in growing their economies. These numbers are out there for anyone to see, you just have to actually look for them. And just because you are a millionaire does not mean you know the Economy.
And don't even get me started on Romney being the Governor of the first state to legalize Gay Marriage. Or that he donated to Planned Parenthood. Or that he used to not agree with Reagan/Bush until it became politically expedient to do so. Or that his leadership in the Olympics produced one of the largest pork barrel spending project in history. Or that he spent more money per vote during the Primaries than any other candidate from either side and still lost even when Conservative media like FoxNews, Limbaugh, Ingraham, HotAir, and Drudge were pushing him down our throats.
Romney is no Conservative. He is a dishonest man who likes to stretch the truth to make himself look good. He either has no convictions or is a bold face liar. Hmmm...I didn't even have to mention religion now did I? That is because I could not care less what religion he is.
Joseph,
You are wrong on every one of you points. Quit twisting the truth!
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