McCain must Swallow the Evangelical Pill at the Convention: Who Gets on the Ticket?

[JCMach1]

Poll question: McCain must Swallow the Evangelical Pill at the Convention: Who Gets on the Ticket?

Scenario: To keep the fundys and social conservatives from bolting the party, he's going to be forced to take one of the talibornagain... Who will it be?

[Jed Dilligan]

1. Santorum

Huck's too liberal economically. He would help McCain send the real conservatives bolting to Bloomberg.

[JCMach1]

5. Answered my own question... McCain/Santorum not in a million years

McCain is one to carry a grudge and he would remember ol' Rick for this stuff:

http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/Santorum:_McCain_Presiden/2008/01/14/64277.html?s=al&promo_code=42F8-1

[nonconformist]

15. McCain is one to hold a grudge? Really?

That said, I don't think he'll pick Santorum either.

[Jed Dilligan]

27. Heh. I don't watch their infighting.

Maybe I should start. It might be therapeutic.

[ingac70]

2. Other: Phil Gramm.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/state/stories/DN-gramm_19pol.ART.State.Edition1.3784398.html

[Quixote1818]

11. That would be a good pick for him. nt

[ingac70]

21. I think so too...

and would quell a lot of the bashing he is taking from RW radio and the likes of Rush and Ann Coulter.

[lurky]

He's just creepy, though.

And he was involved in the Enron scandal.

[ingac70]

23. Repubs don't care about Enron. n/t.

[TwilightGardener]

20. I'll bet he's as old as McCain, or close. Not an inspiring pick, either way.

[ingac70]

24. I personally don't want McCain....

to make an inspiring pick. I like listening to the wailing and gnashing of teeth over McCain on RW radio.

[Anywho6]

3. Damn, I saw "Santorum" and almost threw up my dinner n/t

[lurky]

13. Dan Savage ruined that word for me.

Talk about a vivid association. And now the name lives on after the man has faded. Santorum has achieved a kind of immortality, hasn't he?

[Windy]

4. I never thought of Jeb though... hmmm n/t

[ingac70]

9. Jeb has gotten behind Mittens...

I don't see McCain giving him the VP slot after that.

[TwilightGardener]

6. I get the feeling McCain won't take an evangelical--since Indies and

Moderates are his strength, he wants to KEEP them instead of turning them off with a religious-right nutjob (thus losing them to the Democrat), and enough conservatives will vote for him because they simply have nowhere else to go. His nicey-poo relationship with Hucky is almost over--after Super Tuesday, Huck is finished carrying water for him and he gets a shiv in the back. McCain will pick a moderate governor, or a fellow moderate Senator with exec/economy experience.

[jackson_dem]

7. McCain-Giulani? They are already acting as if they are a ticket

[JCMach1]

14. only if they plan to let the Talibornagain leave the party...

[TwilightGardener]

18. I don't know--Rudy might be a drag on the ticket because of his

objectionable personal life and sleaze. I could see Mark Sanford (SC Gov, who is popular with conservatives), Tim Pawlenty (MN gov)--I don't think those guys would garner a lot of excitement in a general election--they would certainly not hurt McCain, but they wouldn't be a big draw either. The one person who could hurt us as McCain's VP is Hagel, for all those Indies and moderates who don't want to vote Dem but also don't want 100 years of constant warfare, but I doubt McCain and he could ever patch up their differences on the war, thankfully.

[Inuca]

29. Having McCain and Hagel

on the same ticket would be like saying black & white AT THE SAME TIME, since they are polar opposites on what is McCain main claim to fame and to the presidency. Moreover, I doubt Hagel can be made to utter "islamo-fascists" or whatever McCain trademark expression exactly is, without throwing up.

[TwilightGardener]

31. I can't see it happening either, because Hagel simply does not

speak that language or see the world that way, as you say. I don't even know if they're still friends--but politicians sell out their principles for power all the time, so it's not out of the realm of possibility if polls start showing the Dem nominee beating McCain in the summer because they actually have a war exit strategy. The war WILL be a huge issue if/when McCain is the nominee.

[Inuca]

38. It is not only a matter of principles

I simply think it will look politically bad (verging on the inept, not to mention confusing) for both of them to join, given how diametrically opposed they are on the war issue, and approach to foreign policy in general. And I agree, the war will be center stage with McCain. I still keep my fingers crossed for dear Mitt to stage a comeback :-).

As to whether Hagel and McCain are sill friends, I have of course no idea, but I remember watching the Senate, I think it was late December, they came face to face during a vote and they hugged each other, looked genuine.

[Barack_America]

25. If it weren't so obvious that McCain and Romney despise one another...

I'd say Romney. Honestly.

[Unsane]

8. Mark Sanford

[featherman]

10. The traditional (money) conservative wingers cringe at the very

thought of the Huckster. It may make sense to outsiders but I really doubt it would ever fly in the backrooms and boardrooms. They need an "acceptable" Veep
I think Thompson fit the bill for many until it turned out he was asleep. They may go with him for this though.
Why not Cheney again... he's done a good job and he's not dead yet... should be able to keep him alive roboticaly for the next eight years

[Unsane]

12. You're exactly right on Huckabee.

McCain needs a southern Conserative who can help him raise money. Haley Barbour makes a lot of sense.

[featherman]

16. Barbour would be a good choice... vast networking ability

and a southern gov... I think you may have something there

[hulklogan]

32. Haley Barbour would be a very good bet. n/t

[Marie26]

44. That's right

Huckabee actually gets even less corporate money than John Edwards. Which tells you almost everything you need to know. Big Money liked Bush because they knew he was just pretending to be a fundie; the thought of an actual fundie President freaks them out.

[lurky]

17. Brownback?

He's a fundy from a safe state, and I think he might be more palatable to the McCain wing than Huckabee.

[SoxFan]

40. That's what I'm thinking

Brownback is a weird case. He's a fundy who converted to a pre-Vatican II style of Catholicism. But he passes all of the religious right litmus tests, and he doesn't appear to have Huckabee's ethical problems.

[lurky]

45. Right,

so he could run as a Catholic and as an Evangaloid at the same time. Appeal to two groups.

[democrat2thecore]

19. Huckabee - likeable, evangelical - possibility there -nt

[LibDemAlways]

22. I know it's a longshot, but I hope he appeases the

extreme rightwing by putting Inhofe on the ticket. The guy is certifiable. I caught him pontificating on the Senate floor about how God wants us in Iraq. He makes Huckabee look sane.
McCain/Inhofe 08.

[newmajority]

26. What about Mittens?

Yeah, a Mormon isn't the first choice of the fundagelicals, but he'd keep the corporatists happy. And he does have Jeb & Poppy's endorsements. As long as Romney doesn't demand that Joseph Smith's birthday be made a national holiday, I'm sure Pat Robertson would accept him. He's got to be more religious than Rudie was.

[DiamondJay]

28. mitt would help him

and we don't want that. this allows us to continue to chip away the Wall Street Republican demographic, which is already under attack. Put Fuckabee on the ticket, alienate secularists AND rush limbaugh cons, who hate huckabee too, and ride the Hillary/Edwards wave back to the white house

[Zynx]

35. Help him lose. Romney is a remarkably unappealing man.

The thought of Mitt Romney potentially being president should something happen to McCain will prevent a lot of cross-over votes from going McCain's way.

[Zynx]

34. You have got to be kidding. McCain personally hates him.

I think I would be on the ticket before Romney and I'm not even eligible.

[saltpoint]

30. It's one route he could take if he's the nom, but somehow at that point I

think he'll shut the fundies out. They've certainly done him no favors for many moons.

I think if McCain is their nom he'll pick Pawlenty.

[Zynx]

33. Putting Huckster on doesn't help him unite the party.

He has to contend with much broader dissatisfaction than that. He might have to end up putting Fred on the ticket, or Haley Barbour.

[lurky]

41. Fred Thompson?

I feel kind of mean for saying this, but can you picture these two guys on stage trying to whip up a crowd? They're not exactly the dynamic duo.



Haley Barbour I don't know much about except that he's a winger from Mississippi.

[Eurobabe]

36. I like Mike

I'm hearing rumors that McLame and the Huckster are chummy these days. Ganging up on poor Mitten, call him a WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMBULANCE!!

[truebrit71]

37. I dont' think he will....I think he'll pick LIEberman....

...

[DFLforever]

39. I think he might pick Gov Pawlenty of MN

who has been a big McCain supporter yet has strong backing of fundy repubs here.

[Marie26]

42. I hope it's Huckabee

Just for the entertainment value.

[pbca]

43. This Guy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_hEwxglKD8