# Condoleezza Rice for VP with Romney? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 13, 2012, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleezza-rice-for-vp-with-romney/621813 "2012-05-13T23:16:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleezza-rice-for-vp-with-romney/621813/41 "2012-05-14T16:22:11Z")
> [@BigAppleBucky](#): > > She would be a strong choice. Romney’s foreign policy chops need shoring up and very few Republicans outside of Rice have as good a reputation. (Colin Powell excepted) Well, modesty aside, there’s me. Admittedly, I have zero reputation in foreign policy. But that puts me ahead of Rice who has a negative reputation. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleezza-rice-for-vp-with-romney/621813/42 "2012-05-14T17:17:26Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I don’t care about her appearance, orientation, or whether she and Bush did the double nasty. She is by all accounts extraordinarily bright. But what did she accomplish as Secretary of State? From what I recall, she was bowled over by Cheney whenever she dared express a contrarian view. . Quite the contrary. She influenced Bush to see a more diplomatic tact as the better way, prompting Cheney to say Bush had “gone soft”. She was very successful in pushing Cheney aside-- something Powell was unable to do. Now, maybe that’s because Bush trusted her more than he trusted Powell, but she went up against both Rumsfeld and Cheney and won. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleezza-rice-for-vp-with-romney/621813/43 "2012-05-14T17:29:20Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > I think she’s already got tenure. On reflection, I’m sure you are correct. Even more reason she would never be remotely interested. Why would she want the aggravation? ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleezza-rice-for-vp-with-romney/621813/44 "2012-05-14T17:43:25Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Why on earth would Romney want to associate himself with Bush’s foreign policy? He has no problem associating himself with Bush’s economic policy, which IMO was worse for the US than his foreign policy. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleezza-rice-for-vp-with-romney/621813/45 "2012-05-14T18:20:50Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > He has no problem associating himself with Bush’s economic policy, which IMO was worse for the US than his foreign policy. Tough call. But I have to stick with his foreign policy being worse. Got to go with the higher body count. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleezza-rice-for-vp-with-romney/621813/46 "2012-05-14T19:16:51Z")
> [@emcee2k](#): > > Wow, straight to calling her a lesbian and commenting on her physical appearance. Yeah, pretty awful. At the same time, I think if she were a lesbian, it wouldn’t hurt her chances none. Yes, the Republican party right now has a huge homophobic streak and no doubt. What better beard for their homophobia than to be the first party to nominate a gay person to a major position? I guarantee that if it happened, every time the party were accused of homophobia, she’d be trotted out as a counterexample; and any time some idiot Democrat made a joke about her being lesbian, Republicans would hoot triumphantly at how bigoted Democrats were, as if having some idiots on the Democratic side were morally equivalent to making legislated bigotry a centerpiece of the party’s ideology. So it’s not going to happen, and comments about politician’s sex lives and/or appearances should be off the table. But I wouldn’t be that surprised if the first openly gay president or veep candidate is Republican, precisely because it’d be such an effective beard. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleezza-rice-for-vp-with-romney/621813/47 "2012-05-14T19:36:46Z")
> [@emcee2k](#): > > Wow, straight to calling her a lesbian and commenting on her physical appearance. > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Yeah, pretty awful. Talking about her appearance is dumb. **BrainGlutton** wasn’t calling her a lesbian as a taunt, though; he was saying she wouldn’t be offered the position because she’s a lesbian. And I don’t know if she is, but it may be true and it is definitely true that Romney just took a lot of flack for hiring an openly gay spokesman (and the spokesman quickly resigned after being pushed into the background). So if any Republican breaks down this barrier, it is not going to be Romney. > [@](#): > > But I wouldn’t be that surprised if the first openly gay president or veep candidate is Republican, precisely because it’d be such an effective beard. The party doesn’t want a beard. Gay or pro-gay Republicans have a shot at prominent positions in relatively liberal areas, but in a national election it wouldn’t work because anti-gay policies (opposition to same-sex marriage and adoption for same-sex couples, support for DOMA and even for a possible return of DADT) are a real part of their platform. We heard for a long time that the first black president would be a Republican and then it didn’t happen. Republicans recognize that being perceived as racist is a bad thing and they really don’t want their policies to be interpreted as racist, but they don’t feel that way about their policies with regard to gays. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleezza-rice-for-vp-with-romney/621813/48 "2012-05-14T21:34:43Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Will you stop with the fucking gay-baiting? You dishonor everything you say you stand for concerning equality when you do that. You’re just as bad as that Focus on the Family assholes who forced Romney to drop Grenell when you show that you can only see the demographics. Yeah! And anyway, **everybody knows** she was fucking Dubya. Read a paper while at the checkout for once, willya? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleezza-rice-for-vp-with-romney/621813/49 "2012-05-14T21:35:58Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > **BrainGlutton** wasn’t calling her a lesbian as a taunt, though… Don’t be ridiculous; of course he was. if she ever decide to run they would call her a house nigger and a lesbian and a crook and anything else they can think of. SOP for the tolerant left. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Cheryl44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@Cheryl44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheryl44)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleezza-rice-for-vp-with-romney/621813/50 "2012-05-14T21:50:51Z")
They tried a token woman last time and the women didn’t vote for the ticket. So they’ll pick a male Latino this time and see if they can get the Latino vote. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleezza-rice-for-vp-with-romney/621813/51 "2012-05-14T21:55:52Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > On the plus side, if she ran with Romney she wouldn’t have to give it up. She’d really only have to take a six month sabbatical and then she could go back to academics. I don’t think she wants to run the risk that, by some fluke, he might win. And then die. She has zero interest in being POTUS, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleezza-rice-for-vp-with-romney/621813/52 "2012-05-14T21:58:13Z")
> [@BigAppleBucky](#): > > She would be a strong choice. Romney’s foreign policy chops need shoring up and very few Republicans outside of Rice have as good a reputation. (Colin Powell excepted) Colin Powell’s foreign-policy reputation [is disgraceful.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Powell#Secretary_of_State) in case you’ve forgotten. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleezza-rice-for-vp-with-romney/621813/53 "2012-05-14T22:01:10Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Don’t be ridiculous; of course he was. if she ever decide to run they would call her a house nigger and a lesbian and a crook and anything else they can think of. SOP for the tolerant left. > > Regards, > Shodan I wasn’t. Which is the kindest thing to be said about the above. ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleezza-rice-for-vp-with-romney/621813/54 "2012-05-14T22:06:08Z")
Looking at her positions [on the issues](http://www.issues2000.org/Condoleezza_Rice.htm), there are some progressive and some worrying factors. Her support for civil unions wouldn’t be meaningful as a VP for Romney. Her stance on turning the Arab Spring into something positive may be reminiscent of Operation Gladio. She supports renewable energy sources, but advocates cutting spending rather than increasing taxes (which probably unfortunately translates into social programs rather than offence). She supports an extension of NAFTA but has a corresponding sane position on immigration: less deportation (subsidised goods stifling the ability of Mexicans to compete and then their being unable to go to the centre of wealth production is plainly damaging). Her biggest detractions are on foreign policy and homeland security in my view, where she is in concordance with Bush. She claims that bin Laden’s death vindicated the use of torture and that increased surveillance is worth the additional safety. She also supports attacking Iran if they develop a nuclear weapon. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleezza-rice-for-vp-with-romney/621813/55 "2012-05-14T22:06:12Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Don’t be ridiculous; of course he was. if she ever decide to run they would call her a house nigger and a lesbian and a crook and anything else they can think of. SOP for the tolerant left. > > Regards, > Shodan You can’t actually believe that. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleezza-rice-for-vp-with-romney/621813/56 "2012-05-14T23:10:11Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > it is definitely true that Romney just took a lot of flack for hiring an openly gay spokesman (and the spokesman quickly resigned after being pushed into the background). For being gay, not for all the juvenile women-bashing tweets and other statements he’d been making. \*That \*shit didn’t do it (and Romney may not even have thought there was anything wrong about it), being who he was born to be did it. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleezza-rice-for-vp-with-romney/621813/57 "2012-05-14T23:37:17Z")
> [@Cheryl44](#): > > They tried a token woman last time and the women didn’t vote for the ticket. So they’ll pick a male Latino this time and see if they can get the Latino vote. They should have picked one who didn’t make Michelle Bachmann look like a calm, clear-headed elder stateswoman. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleezza-rice-for-vp-with-romney/621813/58 "2012-05-14T23:40:11Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > You can’t actually believe that. He will actually maintain steadfastly that he does, I figure. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleezza-rice-for-vp-with-romney/621813/59 "2012-05-14T23:53:29Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > He will actually maintain steadfastly that he does, I figure. Indeed–it’s pretty much exhibit A for my claim that Republicans desperately want a beard. **Shodan** is using her as a beard in the hypothetical, declaring hypothetical Democrats willing to slur her in order to show how awful they are and to deflect attention from the real question, which is whether I’m right or **Marley** is re: Republican attitudes toward a gay candidate. To forestall the obvious, I think Democrats are too chickenshit, and also too hampered by homophobia (although to a much lesser degree), to nominate a gay candidate. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleezza-rice-for-vp-with-romney/621813/60 "2012-05-14T23:55:08Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > To forestall the obvious, I think Democrats are too chickenshit, and also too hampered by homophobia (although to a much lesser degree), to nominate a gay candidate. To nominate an **openly** gay candidate. There was [James Buchanan.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Buchanan) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleezza-rice-for-vp-with-romney/621813.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleezza-rice-for-vp-with-romney/621813.md?page=4)