# Handicapping the GOP Veepstakes **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 6, 2012, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017 "2012-04-06T17:42:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/41 "2012-04-09T14:55:30Z")
Ryan would be an odd choice. He certainly doesn’t offer much to balance the ticket. Rubio does, but I doubt the presumptive Hispanic-vote boost would offset the loss of darkie-hating votes. I’m going with Jeb Bush. Yeah, I said it. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/42 "2012-04-09T17:46:49Z")
I want to take a moment to congratulate my fellow Dope fiends for their maturity and taste. We have discussed Republican choices for VP for forty plus posts without one snide pun on “handicap”. Does this portend a new era of bi-partisan comity? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/43 "2012-04-09T19:07:35Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Ryan would be an odd choice. He certainly doesn’t offer much to balance the ticket. Rubio does, but I doubt the presumptive Hispanic-vote boost would offset the loss of darkie-hating votes. Depends on what characteristic one is trying to balance. > [@](#): > > I’m going with Jeb Bush. Yeah, I said it. Why would Jeb waste his time like that? How is he better off if he’s Romney’s running mate? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/44 "2012-04-09T20:30:12Z")
> [@DoctorJ](#): > > … Floridians in general are feeling some buyer’s remorse over electing Rick Scott, so the idea that he will deliver Florida for the GOP is far from a lock. “Some”? Scott had a 24% approval rating the last time I checked. I have to believe he’s the least popular governor in the country. [QUOTE=RTFirefly] Why would Jeb waste his time like that? How is he better off if he’s Romney’s running mate? [/QUOTE] He’s got some image rehabbing to do. His last name is still Bush, you know. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/45 "2012-04-09T20:35:19Z")
Still no word from Neil Bush? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/46 "2012-04-09T21:40:57Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Ryan would be an odd choice. He certainly doesn’t offer much to balance the ticket. Rubio does, but I doubt the presumptive Hispanic-vote boost would offset the loss of darkie-hating votes. Most Cuban-Americans are only marginally darkies anyway. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/47 "2012-04-09T21:43:38Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Marco Rubio seems to be an excellent choice-the Tea Party supports him but he doesn’t alienate moderates either. The only problem may be that some cretins will oppose him because he isn’t a “natural-born citizen” as his parents weren’t citizens when Rubio was born. It is with firm and unabashed confidence that I predict a deafening silence from the cretin contingent, should your suggestion take root. Cheer up! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/48 "2012-04-09T22:20:10Z")
> [@Invisible\_Chimp](#): > > Obama still doesn’t have enough experience to charge his opponent with inexperience whoever Romney picks as veep. What the heck does that have to do with it? This is politics. You charge your opponent with ANYTHING. And anyway, it’d be Biden’s target to attack. Also, being the President of the United States trumps any other experience. Still, Rubio seems like just too inviting a choice to pass up; it gives the Republicans a candidate in an incredibly important state, one without which victory would be difficult, and Rubio is young (very young - he turns 41 in May) telegenic, gives the ticket some ethnic flavor, and has conservative cred. ETA: If elected, Rubio would be the third youngest VP of all time. John Breckinridge was just 36, and Richard Nixon had just turned 40. Rubio would beat Dan Quayle by a few months. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/49 "2012-04-10T00:47:46Z")
Part of the problem with Rubio is the tone-deafness it implies. Republicans reaching for the Hispanic vote are too fucking stupid to realize that Cubans speak Spanish, yes, but don’t always arouse the sympathies of American Hispanics, who are largely of Mexican and Central American derivation, and are often very resentful of the privileged position of Cuban immigrants. If you’ve forgotten, I’m referring to the policy by which Cubans fleeing Castro need only get ashore in America, and they’re good. A Salvadoran immigrant might be here twenty years, pay his taxes, raise his kids and work his ass off, and be deported tomorrow. In the bad old days, people fleeing Central America for the US and entering illegally were fleeing men who made Castro look positively cuddlesome. Of course, some proportion of any demographic slice can be conned with an empty gesture. But how many? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/50 "2012-04-10T02:22:25Z")
Should Romney make a boring VP pick… when he’s already seen as boring himself? I’m not convinced: [http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/09/opinion/zelizer-romney-vice-president/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/09/opinion/zelizer-romney-vice-president/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/51 "2012-04-10T02:46:53Z")
**elucidator** -But those C. American leaders weren’t Communists. :rolleyes: (the eyeroll is directed toward the policy, not elucidator) ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/52 "2012-04-10T13:13:09Z")
I’m gonna go out on a limb and say [Christie’s chances have just gone to zero](http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/10/11118304-christies-problems-worsen-in-new-jersey?lite). ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/53 "2012-04-10T15:01:39Z")
What about Scott Walker? The tea party loves him, and it looks like his schedule will be freeing up… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/54 "2012-04-10T15:32:00Z")
Dear Mitt: Take my governor, Rick Snyder. Please. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/55 "2012-04-10T17:51:12Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’m surprised more folks aren’t looking at Mike Huckabee. He’s wingnut-style crazy, and appeals especially to the evangelical crowd where Romney is weaker, but he’s also genuinely _likable_. No campaigning “fire-in-the-belly”. Pardoned a lifetime criminal who subsequently killed four police officers in Washington. His own “Willie Horton” moment. Clemmons at the time of Huckabee’s pardon, had been given 95 years in prison which is where he should have been on Sunday November 29, 2009 when he shot in cold blood four police officers in Lakewood, Washington. Read more: [http://www.politicolnews.com/huckabee-pardoned-cop-killer/#ixzz1rf0ssAwt](http://www.politicolnews.com/huckabee-pardoned-cop-killer/#ixzz1rf0ssAwt) I’ll join the Portman oxcart. He can’t seem to move the meter himself in Ohio. A decent campaign performance would get some exposure and maybe a FOX gig. Moving up from the Palin standard would seem pretty easy. Chrisite has foot-in-mouth disease. Rubio has the youth and possibly smarts to wait a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/56 "2012-04-10T20:09:07Z")
If Romney picks Rubio, the combined Washington experience of the ticket is basically Rubio’s couple of years in the Senate. Question: when was the last major party ticket with so little Washington experience? Perhaps it doesn’t matter but I suspect foreign policy is going to be a bit of a weakness for Romney and it would be exacercabated if he goes with Rubio. ---
**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:** [April 11, 2012, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/57 "2012-04-11T04:46:51Z")
And I’m going to come back in and add Santorum to the list of possible choices. The fact he bowed out before the Pennsylvania primary thereby allowing Romney to solidly claim the crown could improve his chances. Mittens does need to shore up his right flank and Santorum really has nothing to lose by joining forces. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/58 "2012-04-11T05:37:15Z")
I was going to suggest Santorum myself before **Kolak of Twilo** (curses… foiled again) ninjaed me. His (Santorum’s, not the worthy Kolak’s) timely withdrawal is telling, even if it can be justified by his familial crisis. So, what does Santorum bring to the plate? \>\> A very vocal opposition to gay rights and abortion, both of which are Pavlovian triggers to the salivating hordes of morons who call themselves ‘conservatives’. \>\> An unflinching adherence to a ancient and hidebound religious belief structure based upon a hierarchy which has condoned slavery, genocide and rampant child abuse. \>\> A visceral reaction approaching violent dyspepsia when considering the words of a former POTUS who lauded the concept of ‘separation of church and state’. \>\> A belief in a powerful supernatural entity who has hurled the flaming triune of ‘pride, vanity and sensuality’ against the very bulwarks of hallowed American institutions. One can only assume that Mr. Santorum’s cable provider has cross-connected the Inspiration Channel with whatever outlet harbors the wretched abberation that is known as TMZ. In other words, Santorum’s religious zeal and vituperance neatly balance out the bland Wonder-Bread qualities that defines Romney’s public persona. Together they just might be able to convince fully 40% of the voting populace to crawl out of their cardboard boxes precariously perched over the heat exhausts in the various alleyways of Corporate America and stagger bum-fuddled to the polls this coming November to stab their styluses next to the big black ‘R’ on the presidential ballot. Hooray for the Republic! ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/59 "2012-04-11T07:18:50Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Runing-mate T.R. overshadowed nominee McKinley on the GOP ticket in 1896; never again. Dude, you either misspelled G.H. or you misspelled 1900. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/60 "2012-04-11T12:15:46Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > and then there’s a tier of prospects with chances rated at between 8% and 11%: Chris Christie, Rob Portman, Paul Ryan, Susana Martinez, and Bob McDonnell. It’s fun to say “Romney-McDonell.” Try it. Try it with a straight face. Try it without thinking “Corporate Clown.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017.md?page=4)