McCain To Meet With Crist, Jindal & Romney For VP Talks
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, McCain, Republicans, Veep
Charlie Crist I completely understand because his regional appeal could lock up Florida as tight as a drum. Bobby Jindal, who’ll turn 37 on June 10, is a complete and utter “huh?” to me and seems more of a novelty candidate because of how young he is. Romney has always been part of the VP chatter, but if McCain picked Mitt that would suck nearly all of the authenticity out of his campaign.
Here’s more from the NY Times on Crist…
In Florida, Mr. Crist has long been known for his affability and a campaign skills. Instantly recognizable because of his perpetual tan and striking white hair, Mr. Crist, who served as Florida’s attorney general before being elected governor in 2006, has also acquired a reputation as something of a hard-liner on law and order issues.He supports the death penalty, largely opposes restrictions on the rights of gun owners, early on earned the nickname “Chain Gang Charlie” because he favored allowing convicts to be used in road work, and has described himself as a “pro-life and pro-family” candidate.
On Jindal…
Mr. Jindal, who was born in Baton Rouge, La., to a family that had just arrived there from the Punjab area of India, took office as Louisiana’s governor in January after serving three years in the House of Representatives. Mr. Jindal, who was born a Hindu but became a Roman Catholic as a teenager, campaigned for governor as a social conservative, opposing human embryonic stem cell research and abortion in any form and favoring teaching “intelligent design” in schools as an alternative to evolution.But Mr. Jindal also has a reputation as a policy wonk, like the Clintons, with a specialty in health care issues. After graduating in 1991 from Brown University, where he majored in biology and public policy, and attending Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, Mr. Jindal worked for the management consulting firm McKinsey and Company and was executive director of the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare. He later served as secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and in the Bush administration as Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for planning and evaluation.
And you probably know much of what the Romster brings, but nonetheless…
Mr. Romney, a former chief executive who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination this year, has made no secret of his desire to join Mr. McCain’s presidential ticket. As a vice president, Mr. Romney’s business background — including running the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics — could address concerns about Mr. McCain’s ability to manage the struggling economy.
Out of these three, who would you pick if you were McCain?
This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 21st, 2008 and is filed under 2008 Election, McCain, Republicans, Veep. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
May 21st, 2008 at 5:45 pm
This doesn’t in the slightest mean that we are down to three. There have been other “interviews” already and there will be more. Even Huckabee was sharing possum with McCain a week or so ago. Of course that was before Mike had a healthy helping of foot. Of these three mentioned here, Crist is popular in Florida but unkown elsewhere except for the Florida endorsement drama. Good republican but his baggage isn’t clean. Jindal is a great choice. He’s just too young. Jindal should definitely be included and we should watch for great things from him. Romney is a more solid choice than you want to think. Remember that there are still many others on the list.
May 21st, 2008 at 6:37 pm
I know. I never said these are the final three. But of the three who would you pick? Sounds like you’re in favor of Romney, although you don’t really detail why.
Also, what’s Crist’s baggage?
May 21st, 2008 at 6:58 pm
McCain’s campaign still has some authenticity? I thought Hagee, Iraq, his cloned economic policy and cloned tax policies had already taken care of that?
May 21st, 2008 at 8:15 pm
My €0.02 worth — if you’re acting as a party strategist with an eye towards the future, of those 3 you take Crist.
Romney I discount almost completely. Yes, he bolsters the ticket’s social conservative creds on the surface, and he brings very significant financial resources to the table… but after his antics over the winter, I think his “win at all costs” baggage detracts from McCain’s “change, hold the liberalism” path to victory. His administrative skills would make him an excellent choice for a cabinet position. But a veep he’s not.
Jindal is perhaps representative of one possible future of the GOP. In a sense, he could be the Republican Obama. I think his best use this campaign cycle is to give him a primetime speech spot at the convention, and then let him mature in Baton Rouge for 4-8 more years. While the ticket would be helped this year with his preference a loss would damage his brand. Keep him in the wings for 4 more years; with work, he could be a superstar in the bullpen for 2012 or 2016.
Crist would be an interesting choice. He’s got conservative credentials, and he comes from a potential swing state. He also has some problems brewing at home, due to the economy, property taxes, and insurance issues. I don’t think he’s too tarnished yet in the eyes of Floridians, but he has a rocky future ahead as Governor. If the party is trying to protect and develop its assets in the current challenging climate, it might be in the GOP’s best interests to have Crist help out the McCain ticket, possibly removing him from upcoming local turmoil in Tallahassee.
Missing from the invite list is Huckabee. He’d be a fine VP choice, strategically. Putting him on the ticket would help bandage McCain’s relationship with the conservative wing of the GOP. And, even though I can’t stand Huckabee’s positions, I have to admit that I enjoy listening to him. He’s a great campaigner, and would round out the ticket nicely. Plus, he’s at his prime now. An argument could be made for keeping him in the bullpen for 2012, along with Jindal….but frankly, I think Huckabee’s at his peak now; take advantage of that, since he’ll likely be somewhat too tarnished for easy use in future election cycles.
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:38 pm
I like Crist… but what happened to T-Paw (Tim Pawlenty)? I always thought he was a good choice.