Veepstakes

Right now it is Gingrich versus Romney but let us speculate on who would make a good Vice President.  Of course it depends on who win.  Who would help Romney as a Vice President candidate?  Romney will need to pick a candidate with connections to the Tea Party and social conservatives who are suspicious of Romney.  The list of candidates for Romney will begin with Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell.  McDonnell is a popular governor of a key swing state and has shown the ability to move conservative agenda against occasionally hostile Virginia legislators.  He is a conservative who attracts independence plus there is key Senate race so McDonnell coat tail maybe enough to carry a Republican candidate against the popular former Democratic governor Tim Kaine.

The second choice will be Marco Rubio.  Rubio is a well-spoken conservative who is Hispanic in another key state. The disadvantage of Rubio is that he has been on the national scene two years, which may not long enough.  But then, the difference is that Rubio will be running for Vice President and not President and the second is that he was the Speaker of the Florida House whereas Obama spend much of state legislator career voting present.  Rubio can assure Republicans Florida and again, his coattail may be just enough to ensure a Republican Senate victory. Nor does it hurt that he is Hispanic who can possible add a few extra Hispanic votes, maybe enough to swing victories in key battleground states just as Colorado and New Mexico.

The third choice could be Bobby Jindal. Jindal has shown to be a successful governor as he has balanced Louisiana budget, unemployment is below the national average and he defended his state effectively against Obama mishandling of the BP spill.  Jindal has been a congressman, worked on health care on a state level and an effective governor.  Not bad experience for a forty years old, heck, it would be a good career for someone is sixty.  Jindal youth will not be hindrance with his experience but he does not add as much as the ticket as both McDonnell and Rubio with key states and key demographics.   All three of these candidates are attractive to Tea Party members and social conservative.  

What if Gingrich wins?  Gingrich is appealing to Tea Party and social conservative but for many conservatives, there is a belief that he had deviated from conservative principles in years past.   So for Gingrich, does he reach for a Tea Party candidate such as McDonnell, Jindal, or Rubio? Or does he go for a candidate with business experience and been vetted? 

I would not be surprise that Presidential candidate Gingrich actually select Mitt Romney.  Romney has shown that he has improved his presentation and certainly, he has moved to the right for the past years and during the debates, he has been steady.   Romney has business experience, been a governor and has shown the ability to defend his economic plan during the debates plus he might be able to appeal to the moderates and independents.  Of course, it could also work in reverse, a Romney-Gingrich ticket.  The advantage of this ticket is that both men will be vetted by the fall of 2012 and toughen for the campaign by going through the primaries.   Whatever skeletons are already known and by June or July, voters will decide either to ignore the skeletons since they want Obama out or if the Skeletons will be enough to end either men campaign, in particular Gingrich.  (In which case, Romney will be nominee.)

Republicans are ready to march through hell and back to be rid of Obama but the issue will be to move the center to the right and bring moderates along. Which candidate will do that and which Vice President nominee adds to the ticket, not just by attracting voter but adding competence and the ability to defend our ideas to the electorate.