Well, what kind of message would “The American economy is doing pretty well, and although the days of global hegemony are largely over, the future looks bright. The main challenges are elsewhere, in areas such as foreign policy, the justice system and healthcare” make?
Much better is simply “America not great. Make great”.
Nah, that loser got captured.
Artur Davis.
Condoleezza Rice.
She’s the whole package.
You heard it here first.
Tony Zinni.
Folks keep talking that signing on as Trump’s VP is “political suicide”. I disagree.
Trump has a decent shot at winning the presidency. Most R voters will vote R regardless of who is the candidate. Likewise most Ds. We know in general the popular vote is pretty evenly matched across the country. And that structural factors give the angry rural right an advantage in the electoral college beyond their numbers in the popular vote. We also know Hillary doesn’t inspire the kind of positive enthusiasm that Trump does within their respective supporting camps. I think they are broadly similar in how much negative enthusiasm they provoke in the other camp.
Trump, like Berlusconi and many other similar populist protest leaders in many other civilized countries over the years, is very electable when enough of the country is in the appropriate mood. And a lot of money has been spent over the last 8 years getting the appropriate / right parts of the country into the appropriate / right mood.
The mini-debate upthread about whether the current economy is good or bad demonstrates just how much this is the parable of the elephant. Whether the last 8 years feels to you like a recovery or an ongoing recession depends very clearly on where you stand in the economy. And I think most folks agree the next 10 months have more downside risks to the economy in general and the middle-and-lower classes in particular than it has upside potential. Several months of adverse economic news leading up to an election almost always causes a loss for the incumbent President’s party. Ask GHWB about that one.
My bottom line: Trump has a better than even chance of being the next President. Not that I want this; just that I believe the facts support this.
With all that …
It’s less plausible to me that President Trump would want or would get a second term in 2020. IMO his VP would be the best-placed person to capitalize on the rare opportunity to succeed a one-term President of your own party.
Go big or go home. It’s a motto a lot of high rollers live by. Somebody will relish the chance to ride Trump’s coattails into the VP slot. My bet is a milder sort of Main Street small business populist. I don’t follow the personality soap opera enough to name names, but surely such a critter exists.
I don’t want to think about her package.
Well, then, is Joe the Plumber available?
She is almost certainly a lesbian. Ain’t gonna fly with the base, even if she were white.
I think Brown as VP is very possible. And I wouldn’t count out Nikki Haley either, after Trump made nice and she made positive comments about their friendship after her response to the SOTU. She’s from the south and a female and Indian. Man, she’s almost prefect.
Kim Davis, providing she isn’t really Dick Cheney in a wig.
I think he should consider Alabama Supreme Court Judge Roy (10 Commandments in the Courthouse, No-gay marriage licenses) Moore. There are two upsides that I see (1) he would firm up the evangelical and social conservative vote for Trump, an part of the voting public where he is vunernable (not that they’d vote for Hilary; but they might stay home) and (2). It would get him out of Alabama for the time being, which I personally would take as a good thing-YMMV.
I wonder if some Southern governor (or ex-Gov–what’s Goodhair Perry doing?) might be persuaded, again to firm up Trump’s conservative credentials and improve their national recognition.
I still don’t believe he’ll make it, but LSL Guy’s comparison of Trump to Berlusconi the Buffoon is compelling. As Jerry Reed said in the movie “Smokey and the Bandit”, “Hold onto your ass, Fred.”
I would bet on a relatively new Representative. One that would view the possibility of VP as a gift from heaven and new enough in Washington that Trump can spin them as not an insider and trying to change DC from the inside.
Jeff Johnson! He’s perfect!
Anyone can make a cheap joke about 1992. But if we’re being serious, there’s only one GOP candidate who served in uniform and has the relevant experience, and he happens to be the same age as Hillary Clinton.
And so I ask you: shall we go forward to tomorrow, or past to the back?
One good running mate for Trump is Nikki Haley. A woman of color, well known, Southern, pro-life, anti-immigration. But he would have to assume that he can win by staying to the right. If he needs to turn toward the center he’ll want a Western state woman who is significant in the private sector with left-wing ideas but still a solid Republican, and isn’t Carly Fiorina.
Both Bernie and Hillary are in a their own tough spots unless the winner nominates the loser. Each one of them risks being upstaged by a qualified and popular running mate.
ETA: Another interesting way to go for Trump is Jim Webb. Southern, military, cross aisle appeal, and he makes Trump look like warm and friendly in comparison.
But how much total crap can she listen to before she runs screaming from the room? Sure, she’s a Republican, but still…
What? Not one mention of Ted Nugent? He’d make Trump look good by comparison.
Good call. Perhaps one of the Tea Party brigade who’s able to point to a 100% orthodox (=ineffectual protest) voting record in his/her 2 years in DC. Or a western “common sense frontier values” governor.
Several folks have suggested a non-white-male VP. I think that’d be a fine way to utterly deflate the hopes of Trump’s supporters. He’d flop like a busted flush if he went with anyone other than a white male.
IMO Trump’s success hinges (as Obama’s did in 2008) entirely on getting massive turnout from non-traditional voters. Anything that disrupts the “This time it’ll be different; my demographic finally gets some lovin’” narrative will deflate that.
Contrast the Obama results of 2008 e.g. “Hope & change” with those of 2012 e.g. “How’s that hopey/changey thing workin’ for ya’?” (thanks to massive R obstructionism). The D-leaning non-traditional voters were disillusioned enough that their abstentions almost cost Obama the election. They certainly failed to maintain a D-leaning Congress.
IMO Trump’s using the same tactics, and must do so to succeed. The only difference is Trump’s aiming at a different target demographic.
Allen West