Posted on 04/14/2008 7:29:53 PM PDT by pissant
Right Wing News emailed more than 230 right-of-center bloggers and asked them to send us a ranked list of 1-5 people they'd most like to see as John McCain's Vice-President and the 1-5 people they'd least like to see as John McCain's Vice-President. Representatives from the following 45 blogs responded...
The Anchoress, Argghhhh!, AtlanticBlog, The Baseball Crank, Blonde Sagacity, Bluey Blog, Boi From Troy, Bookworm Room, Classical Values, Dr. Melissa Clouthier, The Club For Growth Blog, Conservative Grapevine, Damian Penny, Drumwaster's Rants, Elocutio, Eternity Road, Musings, Fetching Jen, Cassy Fiano, Fraters Libertas, GraniteGrok, GayPatriot, IMAO, Jeff Gannon - A Voice of the New Media, JackLewis, Liberty Pundit (Brian), GOPUSA Northeast (Hank), Rachel Lucas, Mainstream Libertarian, Midnight Blue, mountaineer musings, Moxie, Newmark's Door, Noisy Room, No Oil For Pacifists, The Nose On Your Face, Pal2pal, The Pink Flamingo Bar & Grill, Pirate's Cove, Don Singleton, Sister Toldjah, Solomonia, The Sundries Shack, Don Surber, WILLisms,
All participating bloggers were provided with the following list of potential candidates although they were also allowed to select nominees who were not listed:
Haley Barbour: Governor, Mississippi
Marsha Blackburn: Congressman, Tennessee
Richard Burr: Senator, North Carolina
Jeb Bush: Former Governor, Florida
Tom Coburn: Senator, Oklahoma
Charlie Crist: Governor, Florida
Jim DeMint: Senator, South Carolina
Elizabeth Dole: Senator, North Carolina
Tommy Franks: Former General
Newt Gingrich: Former Congressman, Georgia
Rudy Giuliani: Former Mayor, New York
Lindsey Graham: Senator, South Carolina
Phil Gramm: Former Senator, Texas
Mike Huckabee: Former Governor, Arkansas
Duncan Hunter: Congressman, California
Kay Bailey Hutchison: Senator, Texas
Bobby Jindal: Governor, Louisiana
John Kasich: Congressman, Ohio
Joe Lieberman: Senator, Connecticut
Mel Martinez: Senator, Florida
Sarah Palin: Governor, Alaska
Tim Pawlenty: Governor, Minnesota
Mike Pence: Congressman, Indiana
Rick Perry: Governor, Texas
David Petraeus: General
Rob Portman: Congressman, Ohio
Colin Powell: Former Secretary of State
Condi Rice: Secretary of State
Tom Ridge: Former Governor, Pennsylvania
Mitt Romney: Former Governor, Massachusetts
Mark Sanford: Governor, South Carolina
Michael Steele: Former Lieutenant Governor, Maryland
Fred Thompson: Former Senator, Tennessee
John Thune: Senator, South Dakota
JC Watts: Former Congressman, Oklahoma
Christie Todd Whitman: Former Governor,New Jersey
As I mentioned earlier, the bloggers were allowed to make 1-5 ranked selections. Those selections were weighted as follows...
1) Worth 2 points
2 or 3) Worth 1.5 points
4 or 5) Worth 1 point
So, for example, a candidate who received two first place votes (4 points), a third place vote (1.5 points), & and three fifth place votes (3 points), would receive a grand total of 8.5 points.
Also, keep in mind that the scoring cut-off to be included in the lists below was 5 points. If a candidate received less than that, his/her score was not listed. Also keep in mind that not everyone put in 5 selections for each area.
Here are the selections that were made with the total number of points each candidate tallied following his/her name in parentheses...
The Most Desired Vice-President For John McCain
18) Rudy Giuliani: Former Mayor, New York (5.0)
17) Tim Pawlenty: Governor, Minnesota (5.5)
16) Jim DeMint: Senator, South Carolina (6.0)
15) Mike Pence: Congressman, Indiana (7.0)
14) Phil Gramm: Former Senator, Texas (7.0)
13) Elizabeth Dole: Senator, North Carolina (7.0)
12) Sarah Palin: Governor, Alaska (9.0)
11) David Petraeus: General (10.5)
10) Newt Gingrich: Former Congressman, Georgia (11.0)
9) JC Watts: Former Congressman, Oklahoma (12.0)
8) Haley Barbour: Governor, Mississippi (13.5)
7) Mark Sanford: Governor, South Carolina (16.5)
6) Duncan Hunter: Congressman, California (17.0)
5) Bobby Jindal: Governor, Louisiana (20.0)
4) Condi Rice: Secretary of State (22.0)
3) Fred Thompson: Former Senator, Tennessee (26.5)
2) Michael Steele: Former Lieutenant Governor, Maryland (28.5)
1) Mitt Romney: Former Governor, Massachusetts (29.5)
The Least Desired Vice-President For John McCain
15) Tom Ridge: Former Governor, Pennsylvania (5.0)
14) Tommy Franks: Former General (5.0)
13) Tim Pawlenty: Governor, Minnesota (5.5)
12) Rudy Giuliani: Former Mayor, New York (7.0)
11) Newt Gingrich: Former Congressman, Georgia (7.5)
10) Elizabeth Dole: Senator, North Carolina (7.5)
9) Mel Martinez: Senator, Florida (10.0)
8) Condi Rice: Secretary of State (16.5)
7) Christie Todd Whitman: Former Governor, New Jersey (19.5)
6) Joe Lieberman: Senator, Connecticut (19.5)
5) Charlie Crist: Governor, Florida (20.0)
4) Colin Powell: Former Secretary of State (23.0)
3) Jeb Bush: Former Governor, Florida (23.5)
2) Lindsey Graham: Senator, South Carolina (26.5)
1) Mike Huckabee: Former Governor, Arkansas (42.5)
If he can get Powell, he would be unbeatable.
Powell’s a Democrat.....even though he won’t admit it. MICHAEL STEELE!!!!!!!
Powell has already given $2,300 to McCain. And he gave that much to George Allen reelection campaign in 2006.
What do you really know about Michael Steele’s views???
Who cares what these bloggers think or want?
*omney would be the best running mate for Obama.
I expect McCain to use this data to pick the person Conservatives voted the worst choice.
He flamed out as a Presidential nominee, he’d do worse as VP nom. I can see it now on every late night talk show... “Grumpy Old Men ‘08.” Sanford makes the most amount of sense. He’s incredibly popular in a critical region, likeable, and someone who can articulate the “hope” of true conservatism (IE market freedom, personal freedom, privacy, ect) to balance out the pseudo-neocon McCain. I’m just a huge huge fan of the guy, and look forward to voting for him as POTUS in 2012. I’m tired of the GOP trying to scare people to vote for it’s candidates. I want to see a true conservative preach the hope that limited government and personal freedom can bring to everyday middle class Americans as well as the wealthy.
True, but it would tilt the party even further to the left, so long term, it is suicide. Then again, I think the GOP already committed suicide by choosing McLame.
Fred, Michael or Mitt. I really don’t like McCain. I am tempted to be a Maverick and vote Libertarian. A Maverick like McCain was...a stab you in the back maverick.
Apparently you, since you took the time to comment
Steele is great. Not because of his color, but because he is a great and effective communicator of conservative principles. Doesn’t hurt he’s from Maryland, either.
Garbage.
All RINOS in the top five.
Huckster? HA!
You read it wrong. that was the least desirable list.
Steele is a good man, but he wouldn’t bring MD into the GOP column. Not even Agnew in ‘68 carried MD for Nixon (he lost 44%-42% to Humphrey).
Michael Steel gave a great speech at the RNC in 2004.
Jeb Bush, were it not for the name Bush, would probably be a great vp.
So is McCain. who would have thought, three Dems running in the primary, and possibly 4 dems running on the final tickets.
excuse me while I go and throw up.
apparently not so reasonable a facscimile given the pathetic nature ore the list.
Powel?
Rice?
Crist?
GUILIANI?
its a major RINO-pa-losera.
OH! thanks!
still have Rice as number 4 which is a bit not good.
thanks fo the relief...
Thanks for posting this, but I bet you agree that this "poll" is basically worthless. Mitt Friggin' ROMNEY??
You can pretty much tell from the names of the bloggers that there aren’t an overabundance of social conservatives in the list.
The results are the second obvious clue.
Jeb Bush is finished. He was stared down by a stinking county probate judge!!
No thanks...
Michael Steele would be a good choice.
It seems like a reasonable list, except for Mitt Romney as Number One and Condi Rice not far behind.
But McCain isn’t going to consult with conservatives on this in any case.
Hardly. There are very few significant names on that list I would respect, most are egocentric blowhards.
So 50 “I wannabe Michelle, I wannabe Ed Morrisey” bloggers get together and come up with a VP wish list that represents what? All it represents is a transcendent thought that went through the minds of 50 unheralded borderline neurotics before breakfast.
Hawkins is losing it.
I'm a conservative. And an activist...I read a range of conservative forums. Can't say I've ever read one of these so called blogs.
That Michael Steele is to the right of most of the people on the list....AND a dynamic speaker....saw him in person at a pizza dinner a month ago...
Because the democrats have staked out a far far left position, McCain has a lot of freedom in this choice. IOW, it will be difficult for O or HRC to win despite the electorate’s weariness of Bush.
I think barring severe blunder or bad health news, McCain will win. McCain likes to say he’s a maverick but he’s really just a cut throat consummate politician. His choice will be based on how to secure his election rather than on choosing presidential timber. That doesn’t mean he won’t. Just that it’s not item one.
I think he will select either Sanford, Romney, the new gov. of LA., Christ, or Hillary Clinton. Or maybe his bestest friend Mr. Graham.
*omney. He makes Obama look honest.
Sorry. Crist.
He is also very nice looking man. I might say handsome.
[I am an 85 year old Caucasian].
I admire his intellect and his pleasant demenor when he is questioned. No matter who is opposite him he never looses his cool.
I just wish he were on more often.
Never forget that.
You really think Huckabee has a shot?
Mike Pence.
Powell is as old as McCain — 71 this month.
You never heard of Right Wing News?
I think he is handsome too.
All of the top picks the “Right of Center” Blogs are “Left of Center”. Disgusting. This is what Conservatism has came to. People, I think we’re screwed.
Read it more carefully. The left of center choices are the least desireable according to the bloggers. It’s two lists.
I have a picture of he and I.....you should be able to see it here...this was last month. He is so gracious and smart.
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h29/goodnesswins/MichaelSteeleandMarciaMar08.jpg
I think Mike Steele would be great; so would J.c.
Governor Palin sounds good and McCain could use a governor. But he’ll win Alaska in any event.
Romney is an obvious choice.
The last time we had a Vice Presdent Burr, it didn’t work out too well.
I agree with Michael, Fred and Bobby.
FRED.
He may have flamed out, but it is meaningless now. McCain would be dope not to have this likable CONSERVATIVE SOUTHERNER on with a TV quotient on his side as V.P.
Plus, Fred Thompson and McCain are old friends. Seems like a no brainer to me.
But if I were McCain, I’d wait until AFTER the Dem convention to pick him.
Thanks for the clarification. I feel a little better.
He would if the Dems choose Hillary. The blacks will be so mad they would stand down from voting.
IMHO, the Dems have a problem. They may get around it with the MSM riding shotgun and Soros acting as their bank, but they have to deal with it nevertheless.
Obama is not carrying the traditional big blue dem states. People are afraid of him, and all the stupid comments and black power Marxist ties are coming back to haunt him.
He accused middle America of being bitter. That is because he sees angry bitter people all around him, and he assumes everyone else is. He is actually starting having to hide his wife, one of the bitter people.
But if they go to Hillary, the blacks will be furious, and they may not vote. This will be an interesting election.
As for us, my son wanted to start a business this year, but he is very afraid. If Obama or Hillary get in, he doesn’t think he can make it fly with the tax increases they have promised. He is thinking of holding back until he sees who gets in.
But the problem is in the attitude. If you concede MA, or any state for that matter, you’ve already lost.
Remember who said that? It was part of this:
Jim Moran represents the VA side of the DC suburbs, although he is a MA native. But the problem is in the attitude. If you concede MA, or any state for that matter, you’ve already lost. I’ll bet you didn’t know that in the 1990s, MA was still quite competitive for the GOP. Did you know we were only 4 seats away from tying the number of Democrats in one legislative body ? Did you know we were also competitive for half the Congressional seats, and that we held 5 statewide offices ? But thanks to deliberately incompetent RINO “leadership”, they turned the state into a 100% Democrat federal/statewide and almost 90% legislative cesspool. All in the short span of 14 years. Not Democrats. RINO “Republicans.” Willful negligence.
I’ve given up on MA.. Have you given up on MD.?
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