John Cole wonders if now that Romney is out it will result in a McCain-Romney ticket.
I am not so convinced that this would be a good idea. While it is true that the so-called1 conservative wing of the GOP was backing Romney, it was hardly out of love for Romney, but almost all out of hate of McCain. As such, what good, really, would it do McCain to add Romney? Yes, the CPAC attendees were all disappointed at Romney’s announcement today and acted like they loved Romney, but it was a fleeting crush of convenience at best, and that feeling will quickly fade.
If anything, it is worth remembering that part of the reason that Romney is exiting the stage is because he has substantial negatives. If was really “all that” then he would have the lead in delegates, and not McCain, yes?
As such, I can’t see any reason why McCain would seriously contemplate offering the veep-ship to Romney.
Sphere: Related Content- I say “so-called” only because I am not sure what “conservative” is supposed to mean these days, even to the “conservative” wing of the GOP as represented by Limbaugh, the NRO crowd and such [↩]
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Pingback by Political Mavens » McCain/Romney? — Thursday, February 7, 2024 @ 2:49 pm
McCain-Romney?
John Scalzi predicts a "McCain/Romney ticket in the fall." Personally, I'm inclined to agree with the very first comment to that post: You’re wrong — I think. Romney has publicly called McCain everything short of a rat-fa…
Trackback by StephenBainbridge.com — Thursday, February 7, 2024 @ 3:48 pm
I agree. My guess at this point would be Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. Soild conservative who is a proven winner in a purple battleground state.
Comment by Steve Bainbridge — Thursday, February 7, 2024 @ 3:50 pm
I’ve felt for a long time that Romney would make a good Cabinet-level nominee, but not so good as Vice President.
Comment by Max Lybbert — Thursday, February 7, 2024 @ 4:43 pm
As such, what good, really, would it do McCain to add Romney?
It would be a disaster-given Mitt’s torrent of insanity that marked his withdrawl speech. Nearly every word that came out of his mouth was so crazy as to be satirical.
McCain would be better off with Stephen Colbert.
Comment by Ratoe — Thursday, February 7, 2024 @ 5:37 pm
I’d have to agree. Romney doesn’t give McCain anything veepable. Either McCain beat him head to head in a state, or Huckabee beat Romney head to head. You won’t get any new voters with a Romney veep - Huckabee may deliver the south, where McCain has struggled - he’d make more sense. (Not saying he makes the MOST sense, but one can quickly make a better case for Huckabee than for Romney.)
Comment by B. Minich — Thursday, February 7, 2024 @ 9:58 pm
#4 needs to have their meds adjusted , and quickly..and the nic is very appropriate , I may add.
Let someone else,hang in the Veep slot….Mitt will be POTUS in 2024…take it to the bank…
Comment by Ann — Friday, February 8, 2024 @ 12:12 am
In the past selecting a VP from a particular region in our country to add delegates to your campaign was essential for success. Today this is more complex choices of ideology.
I don’t believe the pundits, talk show hosts, radio talkers, TV talking heads, or evalgelicals will decide the outcome. It will be the professional, political parasites on the Democrat side who will decide in the proverbial “Smoke Filled Rooms” by their 800 “Super Delegates” who can legally choose either candidate.
Either way this goes, unless there is a clear winner, whether the “Super Delegates” choose Senator Clinton or Senator Obama as the Democrat nominee, I believe the outcome will become chaotic no matter which one is chosen and make Florida 2024 look like a rally for “can’t we all get along”.
I am saddened Mitt Romney had to suspend his candidacy for POTUS. It was an admirable exit. I feel conservatives will be rejuvenated and continue our support for Mitt Romney for POTUS in 2024.
He, his family and over 4 million supporters spent a bunch trying to get there, but it was not meant to be in 2024. I believe this a blessing for Mitt Romney. During the next four years the whole world will know who he is, especially the prognosticaters mentioned above.
JFK was the only other candidate I have supported 100% for POTUS. I was shocked and stunned when he was asassinated. Yes, I remember the time, the day, the place, where I was and what I was doing.
It is a no brainer now for the Republican side of this fiasco of primaries and caucuses. McCain is the nominee. He will win or lose. Simple as that.
It appears there are four Democrats and one Libertarian still in the race. America is in for a long siege until 2024 regardless of the winner.
Moreover, I believe the conservatives are willing to let Senator Clinton or Senator Obama win this one to let them know how it feels when governance is blocked by the other party. The only reason conservatives may want McCain to win is the possibility of two Supreme Court Associate Justice appointments has a strong possibility of occuring.
The appointees receiving an up or down vote is doubtful.
Comment by FromTheTop — Friday, February 8, 2024 @ 2:40 pm
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Pingback by PoliBlog ™: A Rough Draft of my Thoughts » The Toast-o-Meter (Sidekick Saturday Edition) — Friday, February 8, 2024 @ 9:33 pm
[…] PoliBlog: McCain/Romney? […]
Pingback by PoliBlog ™: A Rough Draft of my Thoughts » The Toast-o-Meter (Sidekick Saturday Edition) — Friday, February 8, 2024 @ 9:33 pm
Romney’s a bright guy (when’s the last time we had that in the front office?), he’s good on many Conservative issues (a little angst relief for the right), he looks and speaks well, and seems to reflect pretty good core values. I think he’d be a workhorse for the president.
McCain is a little “long in the tooth” and I think Romney would help offset that image with the younger crowd. If McCain wins the ring, I think one will be enough for him. Romney’s a sure bet for VEEP, and #6 called it for 2024. Romney is going to look very good by then.
Comment by Bob Flood — Friday, February 8, 2024 @ 9:35 pm
Here is the growing list of reasons why Governor Romney would be the perfect V.P. choice for McCain - and everyone else:
1)There is widespread agreement that if John McCain loses this year, Gov. Romney will run in 2024. If Gov. Romney were on the ticket as V.P. next in line for the GOP nod in 2024, Mr. McCain would not have to worry about whether Mr. Romney would work as hard as possible for a McCain/Romney win this year.
2)Governor Romney is very intelligent, and I think would be very comfortable dealing with foreign dignitaries.
3)Governor Romney is very rich and has a well-oiled fund-raising circuit that would be very beneficial to Mr. McCain.
4)Governor Romney would bring expertise to economic matters that Mr. McCain seems to be lacking.
5)Governor Romney would bring executive experience as a Governor to the ticket.
6)Governor Romney would bring almost all of his supporters to help with a McCain/Romney ticket, thereby assuring that his supporters aren’t trying to bring him attention to a potential 2024 run, nipping such conversation quickly, before it takes root and is hard to break apart.
7)Governor Romney appeals to social, economic and defense conservatives, bringing the whole Party and most of the Conservative Movement - including talk radio - on board with the ticket.
8)Romney supporters are very enthusiastic and dedicated. You cannot buy this kind of endearment, but McCain would be able to pick up his supporters, and their already-in-place organizational and other skills they would have to offer to the ticket.
9)Romney would help John McCain in purple states such as Michigan, Nevada and Minnesota, and could even put Massachusetts in place in November.
10)Governor Romney brings all the necessary ingredients to John McCain’s campaign that he so desperately needs to succeed against Hillary - and especially - an Obama Democratic opponent.
11)You cannot buy loyalty like Governor Romney has with his supporters. You have to EARN it. By giving Romney the nod for the V.P. slot, McCain would be showing the Conservative Movement in America that he will not abandon them in the future. If he does this, he will almost be unstoppable in the fall against the Democrats.
12)Governor Romney is now widely seen as heir next in line to be the GOP nominee if McCain were to be defeated, or if McCain served two terms, then 2116, if Romney stays in the game that long. The move to make Romney V.P. would silence many evangelical and social conservatives who now would support Gov. Romney, including Dr. Dobson and others. This would shore up support among Mr. Huckabee’s supporters to Mr. McCain, endearing McCain as the one who actually DID bring the Party and Conservative Movement together to defeat the Democrats and take BACK both Houses of Congress!
13)Gov. Romney was the clear “change” candidate - and ran on that theme. The move to make Romney V.P. would be a tough ticket against a Hillary/Obama ticket. Change wins almost every time. We would now be able to bring that on-the-ground message IMMEDIATELY!
14)As the man who actually did something about - and has earned him wide recognition of - healthcare reform, he is the ideal man to blunt the Democrat’s BillaryCare proposals. This item would essentially be OURS as Republicans, which would deflate much criticism against the Republicans for not adequately addressing this critical issue thus far!
15)By picking Romney, we come out a totally unified Republican Party AND Conservative Movement - ready to fight against the Democrats NOW!
16)McCain IS the President-elect. He WILL be the Commander in Chief. McCain WILL be the boss - apple sauce -non debatable. McCain will get his way on very many things. But, Mr. Romney can still use cabinet meetings and gestures to try to persuade Mr. McCain to go all the way toward Ronald Reagan’s principled road of social, economic and military-might conservatism. Mr. McCain will ALWAYS win. But, Romney will be RIGHT there to balance McCain as needed.
17)Romney would be good for McCain, since Romney is NOT a “yes” man. Romney is a principled, determined conservative who is GRACIOUS -yet stern when applicable - who can turn the other cheek when needed, after his opinions are known and rejected. He PROVED that by bowing out graciously and promising to work hard for Mr. McCain as the GOP nominee-to-be. Mr. McCain does NOT need a “yes” man, but rather someone who can keep his temper and political wavering’s from right issues in check.
18)An informal straw vote among those present to see who they might prefer for President after the CPAC convention showed Romney winning it with 34%, followed by John McCain at 33 %, and Huckabee way down at only 14 percent. This vote proves that adding Gov. Romney to the ticket would quell the right, and go along way toward making sure they aren’t complacent on election day.
19)If McCain does not pick a well-known conservative for V.P., it may take MONTHS for the Republican electorate to get know and accept him, as was the case with Gov. Romney. Conservatives now know that Romney is “one of us,” after his gracious exodus speech at a stunned CPAC convention. People cried. My wife cried. I cried. You CANNOT buy that kind of endearment! Governor Mitt Romney EARNED IT!
20)John McCain is old, grey, and not very attractive overall. A V.P. pick that is younger, more handsome, and without so many grey hairs will help McCain with some voters concerns about such things. Romney fits-the-bill here.
21)No other governor fits as many specific criteria that a V.P. should have than Governor Romney. A pick that is OTHER than a governor for the V.P. slot isn’t as attractive to some voters. Executive experience does matter, and Romney can balance a McCain ticket in this way.
22)A V.P. pick should already be politically battle-hardened so that there won’t be embarrassing moments for the campaign. Romney took punches from virtuously everyone - and still stayed a gentlemen under pressure.
23)A V.P. pick MUST be a scandal and corruption-free pick that under the intense scrutiny of the media’s microscope, will not be a negative for the campaign. Romney is about as pure as new snow as one can get. His first and only wife, along with ALL his children, are fine, upstanding citizens with no baggage to bring to a McCain campaign.
24)Many Romney supporters feel like they were shafted by McCain due to his mis-characterization (some say lie) of Romney’s stance on time tables and troops withdrawal from Iraq right before the Florida contest. Romney supporters are keenly aware of the extreme distaste McCain and some of his supporters have for Mr. Romney, and this is feeding a movement for him to run in 2024, ceding the 2024 election to the Democrats. If Romney becomes McCain’s V.P. choice, most of this talk, including the movement, would stop, with Romney supporters instead working hard for the McCain/Romney 2024 ticket.
25)Most Mormons feel betrayed and bitter about what many see as Mr. Huckabee’s overt anti-Mormon bigotry. The history of the Republican Party and Mormons goes back many years, and Mormons have ALWAYS been a strong, reliable source of strength for our Party. By putting Mr. Romney on the ticket, they will feel that Mr. McCain is really not going to let our Party leave them feeling left out, possibly losing this constituency for a long time to come. Let’s be a party of inclusion that the voters approve of, not of the bigoted few that only divide us to eventual ruin.
26)Mr. Huckabee’s wins on Saturday against McCain are a harbinger of what is in store for the McCain campaign if they don’t act QUICKLY to put this fire of his out. This will become a movement in short order if not stopped immediately, leading to a full-blown retreat from McCain by many conservatives and others. If McCain doesn’t make Romney the V.P. choice very soon, then Huckabee may be in a position to demand he be on the ticket with McCain. If McCain must do this, he will effectively cause a rift in the Republican Party that will not heal for possibly many years to come. Huckabee is unacceptable to far too many than he will ever attract.
Can you give me some good reason’s why Mitt Romney SHOULD NOT be John McCain’s V.P. pick?
“This is a huge win for us,” Huckabee campaign manager Chip Saltsman said. “This is a state that both candidates competed in. This shows that Washington pundits don’t pick the nominee. The folks in the states and outside the Beltway pick the nominee. So not so fast, we still have a long way to go until the nominee is picked, with 20-plus states left.”
Go McCain/Romney 2024 Go!
Comment by Denny — Sunday, February 10, 2024 @ 12:57 pm
My thoughts are exactly yours. I’ve launched a site the get the word out to send a message to McCain and the GOP. We need to unite for a McCain-Romney ticket to stand a chance against the democrats in the fall. check out
http://www.unitethegop.com
Comment by unitethegop.com — Monday, February 11, 2024 @ 10:54 pm
McCain needs Romney to unite the party and Romney is strong in areas where McCain is weak.
Comment by James — Thursday, February 14, 2024 @ 1:30 pm