With a primary season that is strangely enough still not over, Mitt Romney has emerged the best worst choice for conservatives this election cycle. There are many things yet to be done in order to officially anoint Romney the candidate of The GOP for the office of President. The convention, the pledging of delegates, the endorsement and tons of other ceremonial crap no one really cares about followed finally by the selection of a running mate.
The selection of vice president can make or break a candidate. Finding someone that holds your beliefs on one level, yet differs just enough to shore up key demographics is a tall order. The phrase “drag on the ticket” was actually coined in reference to a poor running mate selection (no, long before John Edwards).
Vice presidents have steadily gone down hill during my lifetime. I was born in 1981 and in a fairly short time we have gone from a VP that was elected president, to the guy who couldn’t spell potato(e), then Captain Planet, Darth Vader and finally the comedy stylings of Joe “Plugs” Biden. In an effort to end this vicious cycle, I have a few Vice President recommendations for Mitt Romney.
In no particular order:
Bobby Jindal- Governor of Louisiana. Young, up-and-coming and most importantly well-spoken. No chance this guy would be out and about dropping bombs of verbal diarrhea every time you let him off the leash (Yeah talkin bout you Biden). Jindal represents a new face of conservatism that is actually… brace for it… conservative. He could shore up Romney with younger voters and those of us who have not forgotten Romney’s “evolving” opinions on many key issues.
Sen. Jim Demint- Fiscal conservative, Right to Work activist and yes I know Tea Party endorsed Senator from South Carolina. Bottom Line on Demint is simple. His inclusion on the ticket could unite the GOP with its rebellious little brother The Tea Party. These factions must unite before conservatives get “Ralph Nadered”.
Anybody except Herman Cain, Michelle Bachmann, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Jon Huntsman- These people sought to destroy Romney in the primary. They cannot now make us believe that their vision has unified with his. If any of these people are even in the running for the nomination then I would like to offer my broken desk chair or the empty pizza box from last night’s dinner as alternatives.
Chris Christie- governor of New Jersey, known for his combative style and popular with Republicans across the country. The only trouble with Christie is it would be difficult to tell who was number one. Christie is so dynamic he may overshadow someone like Romney.
Beaker from the Muppet Show- Though he often appears frightened, Beaker has a reassuring nature that might convince us all that everything will be okay. The chances of an embarrassing soundbite are minimal. Plus the lab coat makes him look smart.
Romney’s running mate selection will most likely add little value to the ticket. He will probably not shake anything up with his announcement. I hope he will consider any or all of the above suggestions. Beaker may still be the best choice.
you forgot Paul Ryan