# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/121 "2012-05-07T16:53:45Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Just a tip, \*\*What the… \*\*, you might want to try make your partisan jabs comprehensible. Going by [this OP,](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=650959) I’d say that sets an unreasonably high bar. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/122 "2012-05-07T16:56:00Z")
Going by [this,](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15040369&postcount=65) there is speculation that Ron Paul, who apparently still has not given up the fight for delegates, might be planning to strongarm Romney at the convention into making Rand Paul his running mate. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/123 "2012-05-07T18:21:56Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > How big a majority is “vast”? I’d say 80% is a vast majority. 50-60% would definitely not be vast. 61-79% is half-vast. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2012, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/124 "2012-05-08T13:37:43Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Just a tip, \*\*What the… \*\*, you might want to try make your partisan jabs comprehensible. It would have been helpful had I referenced multiple posts but I know that you really know what I was saying. To be clear it’s that Democrats and their media allies will promote the Condi-is-gay-and-alot-of-right-wingers-won’t-vote-for-her story. Kind of like [what the NYT did here.](http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2012/05/06/ny-times-goes-hunting-racist-ultraconservatives-ohio-who-wont-support-ob) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2012, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/125 "2012-05-08T13:58:34Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > To be clear it’s that Democrats and their media allies will promote the Condi-is-gay-and-alot-of-right-wingers-won’t-vote-for-her story. Yeah, but a lot of those are those who will stay home anyway rather than vote for a Mormon; why not take the chance and give Condi the spot? ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/126 "2012-05-09T14:38:52Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Yeah, but a lot of those are those who will stay home anyway rather than vote for a Mormon; why not take the chance and give Condi the spot? I’m not worried about the anti-Mormon non-vote and I am in favor of Condi for VP. Maybe I really wasn’t clear enough on the latter. Care to comment on Democrats, the NYT and their allies drumming up controversy? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/127 "2012-05-09T14:58:24Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > I’m not worried about the anti-Mormon non-vote and I am in favor of Condi for VP. Maybe I really wasn’t clear enough on the latter. > > Care to comment on Democrats, the NYT and their allies drumming up controversy? If 10% of interview conservative interview subjects (or liberals, for that matter) bring up Obama’s race as a negative factor in voting for him, that’s a worthwhile story. Why is it “promoting” something? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/128 "2012-05-09T15:10:08Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > That’s _ **Mayor** _ Adam West to you. He’s already got a history of stirring up opposition to gay marriage in order to distract from fiscal irresponsibility, and is in bed with big polluting industrial interests. He’s a shoo-in! > [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > It’s fun to say “Romney-McDonell.” Try it. Try it with a straight face. Try it without thinking “Corporate Clown.” I was disappointed that Obama didn’t pick Christopher Dodd as a running mate, just because all the campaign ads would gone: > [@](#): > > **Obama-Dodd!** > _Doo doo da doo doo_ > **Obama-Dodd!** > _Doo doo doot doo.._ > [@Quartz](#): > > I’d be willing to bet that the vast majority of Americans, both Republican and Democrats, don’t give two hoots about colour, sex, or sexuality. I would be willing to be that you are very, very wrong. > [@elucidator](#): > > Condi? Baggage. Between Iraq and a hard place. And she’d have to get married. To a man. Color, gender and sexuality issues aside, I’ve never seen the slightest indication that she was interested in being in the spotlight. She strikes me as very much a behind-the-scenes advisory type. I just can’t see her stepping up to the Veep position. Is Herman Cain definitely out of the running? A southern conservative black CEO with some occasion success with pithy one-liners would balance the ticket to some degree, apart from the CEO part. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/129 "2012-05-09T15:13:37Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Color, gender and sexuality issues aside, I’ve never seen the slightest indication that she was interested in being in the spotlight. She strikes me as very much a behind-the-scenes advisory type. I just can’t see her stepping up to the Veep position. What spotlight? We would see far less of her as Veep than we saw of her as NSA or as SoS. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/130 "2012-05-10T12:56:21Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > If 10% of interview conservative interview subjects (or liberals, for that matter) bring up Obama’s race as a negative factor in voting for him, that’s a worthwhile story. Why is it “promoting” something? Well… you probably believe that the NYT went to Ohio free of bias and without an agenda but I don’t. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/131 "2012-05-10T17:01:51Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Is Herman Cain definitely out of the running? A southern conservative black CEO with some occasion success with pithy one-liners would balance the ticket to some degree, apart from the CEO part. The fact that he’s already a national joke kinda limits his chances. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/132 "2012-05-10T17:03:17Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Isn’t she already? I seem to recall hearing her talking about her husband. There was the time she referred to GWB as her husband. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/133 "2012-05-10T17:13:58Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > The fact that he’s already a national joke kinda limits his chances. Didn’t Biden’s. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/134 "2012-05-10T17:15:13Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > What spotlight? We would see far less of her as Veep than we saw of her as NSA or as SoS. Of course, OTOH, **running** for the office would shine a whole new kind of spotlight on Condi, and she might not like that. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/135 "2012-05-10T17:16:16Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > Care to comment on Democrats, the NYT and their allies drumming up controversy? Care to provide a cite for the Democrat-NYT alliance? > [@What\_the](#): > > Well… you probably believe that the NYT went to Ohio free of bias and without an agenda but I don’t. Something more citey than that, that is to say. ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/136 "2012-05-10T17:41:20Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > If 10% of interview conservative interview subjects (or liberals, for that matter) bring up Obama’s race as a negative factor in voting for him, that’s a worthwhile story. No, it isn’t, unless you operate under the assumption that a large number of conservatives are racists. I mean, it’s like “reporting” that 10% New Yorkers asked for their opinions of Appalachia brought up the topic of snake-handling, that some fraction of those 10% were intolerant of traditional Appalachian religious practice, and that somehow this is supposed to be revealing about the attitudes of ten million New Yorkers. I’d be more impressed that that many city people were broadminded. You go looking for stupidity anywhere, sooner or later you find it. I’d be willing to wager that 10% of liberals would bring up race unbidden in discussing Obama; it’s a bleeding obvious topic. It made headlines all over the world. When your only interest is in other people’s biases, you reveal your own. ---
**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:** [May 10, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/137 "2012-05-10T18:00:36Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Portman, one of my two U.S. senators, is blander than bland, and I’m not convinced he could deliver Ohio if Romney weren’t going to carry it anyway (which he very well might). He is more or less a centrist and wouldn’t particularly help Romney on his right flank. He would be a safe but not especially advantageous pick. As I was saying… [http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/10/poll-portman-on-gop-ticket-doesnt-change-ohio-race/](http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/10/poll-portman-on-gop-ticket-doesnt-change-ohio-race/) ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/138 "2012-05-10T19:32:07Z")
> [@furt](#): > > When your only interest is in other people’s biases, you reveal your own. Is that a tu quoque ad hom strawman? I do believe so! 11% of people polled by Gallup oppose inter-racial marriage. 40% of respondents to a referendum in Alabama opposed inter-racial marriage in 2000. Alabama hasn’t gone for a Democrat since Carter. Coincidence? I think not. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/139 "2012-05-10T19:44:44Z")
Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX) - Certainly not an old white guy. Practically guarantied to be replaced by a Republican in the Senate. It’s also a way to pick a woman without having a Palin taste in the mouth. Richard Burr (NC) - If using Standard VP candidate criteria, I would go with someone from the South as well. Fundamentalist enough to counter Romney’s Mormonism. Someone the TeaPartiers would like. Someone that can deliver Florida as well. Charlie Crist is way to liberal for that and I think the only way Rick Scott would carry Florida is if the voters realize that if he is VP of the US then hes not governor of Fla. Mitch McConnell wouldn’t give up his power in the Senate would he? David Vitter may be an interesting choice but how much of the South outside Louisiana could he deliver? Ultimately, I’d go with Richard Burr out of North Carolina. Governors Jan Brewer (AZ) - Could definately run as an outsider which may balance Romney’s establishment issue. Problem is that she is anti-illegal immigration and her state is viewed by the other 49 as racist. Overall, more harm than good. Tom Corbett (PA) - Lock up Pennsylvania’s 20 EV and from there focus on NY (29), Ohio (18), Maryland (14) and New Jersey (15). Is he too new to have any influence beyond his state’s borders? Nikki Haley (SC) - Perfect for Romney. A non-old non-white non-male conservative. Problem is, she isn’t Christian either. If Romney were not Mormon that may have been a non-issue. Bob McDonnell (VA) = Remember that Virginia (13) went for Obama in 2008. What he has done in his state make good talking points in juxtaposition to Obama’s presidency. Final Assessment: Bob McDonnell, Richard Burr (2nd choice), Nikki Haley (if polling poorly and need a despirate pick and religion is not an issue) ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017/140 "2012-05-11T14:01:17Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Care to provide a cite for the Democrat-NYT alliance? > > Something more citey than that, that is to say. They’re so good at polling… I’m still waiting for one that analyses the political beliefs of their staff. A couple of weeks ago, the Ombudsmen type guy did mention how they need to get away from that “warm glow” they were “basking” in and start to really look at Obama’s record. Would that help if I found it? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapping-the-gop-veepstakes/618017.md?page=8)