With the entirety of the earth’s collective interest in American politics focused on the presumptive nominee of both the Republican and Democratic parties, little attention has been paid to who these en vogue politimagicians will take aboard as their second in command. But just as Posh needs Becks, and just as Bonnie needed Clyde, both Obama and McCain will need a number two; below is a brief synopsis of a few potential candidates.
Welcome to part two of a three part series examining who the potential running mates of Barack Obama and John McCain are. Part one looked at Obama’s candidates, this section, part two, will look at McCain’s, and part three will speculate as to who will most likely stand behind Captain Blue and Captain Red come November.
In both part one and two, we will examine the strengths of five potential candidates, and briefly examine three more dark-horse candidates.
This is VP Showdown 2008!
John McCain
The Candidates:
W. Mitt Romney, P. Bobby Jindal, Condoleezza Rice, Michael R. Bloomberg, Tim J. Pawlenty.
A) Willard Mitt Romney:
As CEO of Bain and Company, Romney restructured this struggling company into a successful, profitable business. Romney managed to save the firm by reconstituting the company’s employee stock-ownership plan, by revaluating real-estate deals and bank loans, all the while increasing fiscal transparency.
Following allegations of corruption at the highest levels, Romney was appointed Chief Executive Officer of 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games – charged with the responsibility of successfully managing the games. Without flaw Romney oversaw the games, and one of his greatest achievement was the creation of a significant security budget following September 11, 2001. Although early on in the planning of the games there were widespread rumours that Romney was overspending, the games netted a profit of US$100 million when all was said and done.
When Romney became governor of Massachusetts in 2003, the state was facing serious debt issues. During his four years as governor, the US$1.2 billion dollar debt disappeared. Romney eliminated this debt through a number of revenue generating programs; by fixing corporate tax loopholes, increasing the cost of driver’s licenses, and by enacting a gasoline tax, to name a few.
McCain has gone on record as saying that he needs help in the realm of economics: “I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated” McCain has said. Well, problem solved - Mitt Romney has a long and distinguished career all centered on financial responsibility. With Romney on the ticket, the Republican party boast a one-two tandem featuring a military tactician and an economic guru – not too shabby.
B) Piyush “Bobby” Jindal:
As the son of two Indian immigrants, Jindal would certainly help McCain position himself as a man concerned about the issues facing minorities. Against the democratic nominee, McCain certainly has to focus on gaining the support of minority groups – if he does nothing he may face a landslide defeat among this incredibly important demographic, which could translate into Republican defeat, if not addressed, come November.
On top of being the son of immigrants and having a personal understanding of the issues facing minorities, Jindal is a loyal republican. He is a staunch pro-life advocate, opposes stem-cell research, was in favour of making the Patriot Act permanent, and has an ‘A’ grade rating from the Gun Owners of America rifle association.
Although born into a family that practiced Hinduism, Jindal converted to the Catholic faith during his high school years, and has practiced his faith ever since. As a result, Jindal supports the teaching of intelligent design in classrooms across America.
With Jindal as his running mate, McCain may secure the votes of red-leaning minorities, and just as important, Jindal would be unlikely to step on McCain’s toes – (as far as I can tell) he has supported all Republican sponsored bills during his time as governor of Louisiana.
C) Condoleezza Rice:
Rice may be the most intriguing choice among potential VP candidates. She is African-American, female, and has eight years of White House experience. During her eight years in the White House she has served in two positions, as national security advisor (2001 -2005), and as secretary of state (2005 - present).
Rice was a fervent supporter of the War in Iraq, and would certainly back McCain’s mission to ‘win the war’. However, Rice would bring more than avid support for McCain’s military operations, as she has outlined a plan for international relations which she describes as “transformational diplomacy”. This policy is directed toward finding regional solutions to help thwart drug trafficking, disease, and terrorism, as well as trying to find ways for developing nations to build strong, efficient infrastructure in order to develop their economies.
This policy would certainly interest undecided voters who demand that the party they vote for go on the record and outline a clear-cut plan indicating how they will tackle foreign relations during their term(s).
Moreover, Rice’s plans are far more than the ramblings of supposed intellect. The strategy behind the core tenets of her transformational diplomacy policy have been drafted over the course of her time in the White House, in which she has visited no fewer than 72 countries.
Also worth noting is that in visiting many nations during her time with the Bush administration, Rice has forged valuable relationships with world leaders, thus providing McCain – much like Hillary to Obama – with a second in command who has already developed extensive relationships with foreign dignitaries.
Coming with Rice is an edge in race relations and female issues, a younger image, practical experience, and an intimate knowledge of international relations, all of which amount to a strong case for a Condoleezza Rice vice presidential nomination from John McCain.
D) Michael Rubens Bloomberg:
Again, the reasoning behind a Bloomberg v.p. nomination is centered around his success in, and knowledge of, the world of economics, though is not limited to that knowledge; as a former ‘eagle scout’ with the Boy Scouts of America, Bloomberg also has a rooted understanding of American lifestyles, values, and institutions.
Before taking over as mayor of New York City late in 2001 – a position he has held since that time – Bloomberg was an extremely successful businessman. As CEO of his own company, Bloomberg L.P., he made himself into the worlds 34th richest man by September 2006, and is currently worth an estimated US$16.2 billion dollars. What’s important to note about Bloomberg’s wealth is that it is self-made – he is undoubtedly an economic guru, perhaps even more so than Mitt Romney.
On top of an outstanding understanding of economics, Bloomberg has responsibly managed New York in the years following 9/11, sponsoring bills that have improved the education system, improved on Rudy Giuliani’s crime rates, and hybridized all New York City taxi’s.
There are plenty of reasons to think that Bloomberg would help McCain, but whether or not he would accept the nomination is another question. Although a registered republican, Bloomberg was previously a democrat, and in between converting from blue to red, was an independent. He is also quite liberal in his beliefs, supporting abortion rights, gay marriage, and gun control, to list a few of his left-of-center views.
E) Timothy James Pawlenty:
A man of humble origins, Pawlenty is a steadfast republican from the traditionally democratic north. In fact, Minnesota – the state he governs – voted in favour of John Kerry in 2004.
He is young (47), evangelical, and a resolute conservative. Pawlenty’s first campaign was marked by a committed plan for “No New Taxes”, and in spite of keeping this promise, Pawlenty managed to balance the Minnesota budget which boasted a US $4.3 billion dollar deficit (though at the cost of funding to welfare, social service, and transportation programs, by and large).
In 2006, a Pawlenty designed program which aimed to send the top quarter of all Minnesota high school graduates to university free of tuition for the first two years (for four years if enrolled in certain programs) was approved, and subsequently titled the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant system.
By developing this program Pawlenty has proven his interest in ensuring the success of Minnesotan (and thus American) youth. Without question, this effort surely does not go unnoticed by McCain, a man struggling to appeal to American youth.
In summary, Pawlenty’s appeal to McCain is two fold. First and foremost, Pawlenty may help capture – much like Sebelius with Obama – a historically hostile state as well as influence surrounding states, and secondly – thanks to his track record – would also improve McCain’s national image among youths. Throw in Pawlenty’s history as a devout republican and evangelical, and his relative youth, and suddenly his case for a vice presidential nomination is as strong as any. Yes, Pawlenty is certainly a name to remember.
The Dark Horses:
Mike Huckabee, Colin Powell, Henry Paulson
Without going into detail, here are three other people who could potentially be named vice president by McCain – candidates that would either widen his appeal among American citizens or provide key experience in the field of economics.
Mike Huckabee – Okay, Huckabee is hardly a dark horse candidate. His name has been mentioned alongside McCain ever since he stepped down to allow McCain to make his run. Much like Pawlenty, Huckabee is an ideal conservative, and with plans to create thousands of jobs with extensive road improvement programs, he is a blue collar hero - a demographic that can’t be yielded to Obama if McCain is to succeed in Novmeber. And hey, Chuck Norris comes with Huckabee; that can’t hurt anything (can it?).
Colin Powell – It is hard to believe that Powell would agree to take this post, but it would be great redemption for the former secretary of state who had to retire due clash of beliefs with President Bush. He is a moderate conservative, which could help sway undecideds to vote republican, and his White House experience and widespread popularity would add to the McCain ticket. Moreover, as with Jindal and Rice, his race could attract a McCain nomination (as racist as that may seem).
Henry Paulson – As the current US treasury secretary and former CEO of Goldman Sachs, Paulson would bring with him a perceived intelligence in the realm of economics. Paulson also brings with him some White House experience, as he served as staff assistant to the assistant secretary of defence between 1970-2, and as assistant to John Ehrlichman between 1972-73 – all during the Nixon administration. He has long supported republican causes, and as v.p., might be able to help McCain convince voters that another republican administration would result in the resuscitation of a faltering economy.
So who will be nominated by McCain to run as his second in command?
Thanks for reading, and keep an eye out for part three.
GRMM
