McCain-Huckabee '08?
Romney pretty much threw in the towel today, stating his concern for the nation in a time of war and the need for Republican unity as his primary reasons for doing so. This leaves us with McCain way out in front, and Huckabee nipping at his heels (though doing so better than expected).
I'm going to make this brief, as I have somewhere to be in about 20 minutes. Super Tuesday made one thing clear - McCain is not the favored Republican candidate in the south. While he did well in blue states, Republicans need traditionally red states to win general elections - states like the ones Huckabee won. Does this mean we'll be looking at a McCain-Huckabee ticket this November? Some are raising the prudence of this move. Only time will tell. More later when I have longer to post.
I'm going to make this brief, as I have somewhere to be in about 20 minutes. Super Tuesday made one thing clear - McCain is not the favored Republican candidate in the south. While he did well in blue states, Republicans need traditionally red states to win general elections - states like the ones Huckabee won. Does this mean we'll be looking at a McCain-Huckabee ticket this November? Some are raising the prudence of this move. Only time will tell. More later when I have longer to post.
posted by Vaelin at 3:24 PM
3 Comments:
I think Romney bowing out this early actually hurst Huckabee's VP chances. Doesn't kill them, but hurts them. In a tighter delegate race with Romney, McCain may have been inclined to work a deal with the Huckster, but now, there will be no need for such a deal. So, while it would be prudent for him to pick a VP more attractive with the evangelical/hard right base, I think he is now free to choose from many candidates who fit that bill. That said, Huck and McCain have gone to great lengths to be cordial to one another, so it's still within the realm of possibility. Conventional wisdom says that Huck brings too much baggage to the ticket, but McCain isn't really known for following cw, so who the heck knows. If I were him, I would take Chuck over Huck (Norris, that is).
What do you think of Ron Paul, and does he have any attractive qualities as a nominee?
I would re-stress my original point about Huckabee - he won many key Bible Belt states on Super Tuesday. These are states that have been crucial to victory for Republicans in past presidential elections. That, and I'd agree that Huck and Mac have been quite cordial with one another. The West Virginia convention result is especially indicative of a potential agreement.
Since everyone's starting to throw out potential VP names these days, I'd also like to see Condi Rice considered. She's a woman of strong moral character, brilliant, experienced, and solidly conservative in a very Reaganesque way.
As for Ron Paul, it's a mixed bag for me. I understand and sympathize with his America-first foreign policy, but we're already at war. Like it or not, our presence overseas acts as a terrorism magnet. Personally, I'd rather have the crazies trying to attack Americans who are ready to shoot back than women and children here on our home soil. Paul's just too libertarian for me on social issues. We're beyond leaving issues like abortion to the states. It became a national issue in 1973, and it will only turn around if it is rectified at the national level. As a nominee, he would appear too outlandish for too many people such that any attractive qualities he might possess would be far outweighed with views that tend to broadly diverge from traditional conservatism.
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