Posted on 08/01/2008 12:28:09 AM PDT by Aussie Dasher
Sen. John McCain's growing popularity among women is fueling speculation that he will selecta female running mate, ripening talk about conservative favorite Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, and former Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina, one of his top economic advisers.
Political pundits, election strategists and even some Democrats say putting a dynamic woman on the Republican ballot would tip independents, especially the "security moms" who helped President Bush win re-election in 2004.
"If McCain picked a woman, it would certainly get the attention and perhaps votes of some Democrats and a number of independents who supported Hillary Clinton," said Democratic strategist Mary Anne Marsh.
With Mr. McCain not a favorite of social and fiscal conservatives, prominent leaders of the party's right flank say choosing a bona fide member of their class could re-energize the Republican base.
"Sarah Palin is a great choice," said Grover Norquist, a Republican activist best known for his economic conservatism.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Sarah Palin is a great choice. I will second that!
Fiorina would be a disaster....
I think Heather Wilson would be good too. She would please a lot of Hillary supporters, and also the Bush haters, because it looks like she voted to impeach Bush! What better way to silence the “Bush/McCain third term”...
Also, what about a Jennifer Carroll, Florida state representative. She hasn’t been elected to national office, but I dare say she has more actual experience than Obama.
Both Ladies are retired military, which I think would bolster the ticket as to the best homeland security ticket.
She’s not a bad sort but where does she stand on the IMPORTANT issues (Life, defense, security)?
LOL@ the “fail” pic!
I tend to agree that Fiorina would be a bad choice. Obama’s campaign (i.e. the MSM) would make political hay of her ousting at HP, and use her as “proof” McCain is continuing the wrong-headed policies of the past (or whatever economic gibberish the Obama campaign is spouting these days).
Fiorina is supposedly an Ah-nold ultraliberal RINO.
The VP rumors are all over the place.
Rush was bemoaning an article that said Lieberman was increasingly favored by McCain’s inner circle.
Rush about had a cow over that.
Now this report about a woman most of America has never heard of who is facing an investigation in AK for “abuse of office” (fairly or unfairly), and a woman who headed up a major corporation and by most accounts failed at it.
For weeks it was said to be Romney.
I’ve also heard strong speculation it’s Pawlenty but word hasn’t “gotten out” yet.
McCain himself said he hasn’t made the final decision.
She stands on the right.
Oh, but she created state benefits for state workers who were same sex couples. You know you have to have some grace in that area...they have loooooooong dark, cold winters in that state; and there are not a lot of people. Anyone would look good after a while!
/s
Very pro life.
She has a downs syndrome child and wanted it even knowing that.
As for defense and security, start with her being pro drilling.
Of course McCain would have to end his stupid opposition to ANWR drilling or the pick would make no sense...
I don’t know where she stands on those two things otherwise, because her record is a state one, not a national one.
Glad you said that. My first reaction when I saw her name mentioned yesterday was negative. I don't recall what I know about her and HP, but the overpowering feeling was one of discomfort.
Sounds like Tasmania! :-)
Palin has been my choice for months.
Fiorina is ridiculously unqualified (Palin is more qualified than Obama) and a by all accounts not at all conservative. Why her name is mentioned is at all I don’t know.
I'm not in favor of an unknown either. McCain is an old guy and whoever he chooses could be President eventually. We need a known quantity that the electorate can rally behind during the general election.
Well, if bottom-of-the-barrel liberals like *omney can be considered, why not his female business counterpart ?
Sarah Palin seems like a solid choice. Don’t know if she’s tainted by the same corruption that seems to have infested the Alaska GOP.
After all, that's what the Dems did with both of their candidates and look at the duds they got! There must be more overarching qualifications that just a person's gender, race or religion.
I don’t know what vote Heather Wilson made that regards Bush impeachment, but she did not vote to impeach him.
There has been no vote held to impeach President Bush.
There was a floor vote on what to do with an impeachment resolution and it was voted in referral to the judiciary committee and some hearings were held.
The Repub members on the committee made the Dems impeachment talk look like the idiocy that it is.
One Repub said it was Bill Clinton and Maddie Albright who made the case that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. He said if Clinton can be forgiven for getting it wrong, then Bush can be forgiven for believing the intelligence he was given upon coming into office in 2001, which CAME from them.
Anyway, even if Heather Wilson came out for impeachment of Bush, and if McCain were to stupidly pick her anyway, the moonbats who hate Bush would never vote for McCain because he put Heather Wilson on his ticket.
She is a Republican and she is pro national defense and the military.
That is all you need to know to realize that her stance on Bush impeachment wouldn’t help her with Americans who hate everything their own country stands for.
Moonbats, and politics, just don’t work that way.
Has there ever been a VP from Alaska?
I think he should pick Condi. And then they should swap places.
No.
Condi would have to change her views on one particular issue first...
Condi has been a disaster as Sec of State.
For such a dorky looking guy, Grover certainly has an eye for the ladies. When I met him a few years back, he had a very attractive wife.
In all seriousness, Sarah would be a great choice. From a natural resource-rich state, intelligent, looks good on camera, etc.
Any black candidate would be seen as tokenism at best, and is not going to change the fact that 90% of the black population will be voting for Barry O (the other 10% have nothing but my love and respect, especially since they will have to defend themselves against family and neighbors on a regular basis).
No, but that pick wouldn’t be about solidifying a state. It would be about adding youth, executive experience, and an exciting story to the ticket. I would prefer Mitt Romney regardless of what the religious bigots and other naysayers grouse about. He can land a punch square on the chin like very few in politics can. I trust they will make a wise choice, but the VP picks for the last 6 GOP elections have made no difference at all. Reagan didn’t need Bush, Bush was elected with Quayle, Kemp didn’t help dole, and W Bush wasn’t helped by Cheney. This one probably wont matter much either.
But until McCain actually announces a running mate, there are just a lot of rumors swirling around about it.
It’s sad she’s been such a failure. So many of us had such high hopes, but clearly she’s well in over her head. Both of Dubya’s Secs of State have been disasters.
Regardless that ole Slick Willard was a disaster as Governor, a liberal, and a pathological liar ?
I really hope that the McCain administration (if there is one) tells the Commentary crowd to stick it, but doesn't go all Strobe Talbott on us either. Kissinger's mind is still functioning. I used to like Fareed Zakaria until he decided to throw his formerly rational brain out the window and latch onto Obama.
I heard Tammy say that.
McCain is no Mr Rogers, but he’s acting like it in this campaign. This is the same McCain who has a legendary temper, said to be volatile and explosive, etc....remember THAT McCain?
Probably he’s adopted this public persona in order to torpedo the opposition trying to claim that he’s too temperamental to be President.
Pawlenty strikes me as a true Mr Rogers type.
Everytime someone uses Mitt’s given name, I picture him playing with Ben the Rat.
Let’s see. Graham, Lieberman, Romney, Pawlenty, Palin, and now Fiorina... Until McCain himself says, “My pick for VP is...” then we all can only speculate...
You’re a little rough on Rummy. Were he younger, I’d have loved to have seen him as President. ;-)
As for Powell, I have zero use for him. He was a flash in the pan during Gulf War 1 and a total drama queen by the end of ‘95. Maybe it was a good thing we were spared his running for the White House. One Jerry Ford RINO Presidency was enough in the 20th century.
Pawlenty is merely subpar as a Governor. A total GOP ticket collapse in MN occurred on his watch, too, not a good mark of an effective leader.
I wish it would be Duncan Hunter.
Second, Haley Barbour.
Third, Mike Pence.
Rummy (who’s picture hangs in my favorite Princeton watering hole, right near uber RINO fellow Tiger Tom Kean) was a fine congressman, but I hold him largely responsible for allowing the neocon intellectuals and bean counters to run the early part of the war, and we all know how that turned out.
Mitt is such a dopey country-clubber name. Slick Willard is so more fitting.
Palin has nothing to do with the “Stevens mess”, that’s all on Ted’s head.
I think the State Department was so riddled with Clinton incompetents who were already so prejudiced against a Bush presidency that it wouldn’t matter who Bush chose to be Secretary of State. The incompetents were determined to be incompetent no matter what. Regretfully, I think the same is true of the CIA.
Just to be sure it’s clear, I’m not advocating Pawlenty.
Condi has been a big disappointment. Maybe no secretary can overcome the entrenched bureaucracy at State?
I’m not favorably disinclined towards neocons.
What does "being a woman" have to do with Hillary Clinton?
The women up that way tend to be tough in a feminine sort of way.
Palin could quite possibly be the next Margaret Thatcher.
I vote yes for the little I have read.
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