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[Jervill]

Some interesting male prospects:

--Tim Pawlenty. Now that he's survived the recall election, he looks tough and defiant. He gives the ticket some heartland cred, and a record of actual conservative legislation.

I think you mean Scott Walker, governor of Wisconsin.  Tim Pawlenty is no longer governor of anything; the current governor here is Mark Dayton, a Democrat.

[RedKing]

DOH. All those upper Midwest states blur together for me. Wow....that was an epic brainfart.

Not only that, but Petraeus isn't in Afghanistan anymore, he's Director of the CIA. I think I'm gonna stop prognosticating for the day till my brain sorts itself out. 

[mainiac]

Why would it be a problem for Romney to have a non-southerner as his VP?  I think that would be an assset.  The only place I see it counting against him that matters would be North Carolina.  But it could work to his credit in New Hampshire and the West to have no association with the southern wing of the GOP.

There's not a lot of upside to being the VP pick in a losing campaign. Think Dan Quayle, think Admiral Stockdale, think Sarah Palin, think Geraldine Ferraro.

Three nobodies and Sarah Palin could hardly be expected to have bright political futures were it not for the VP nominations.  And Sarah Palin could have remained governor of Alaska if she'd actually wanted that and invested a minimal effort into it.  Compare them to Bob Dole who went on to become Senate majority leader after being on a losing ticket and FDR who became freaking FDR.

[Heron TSG]

A while ago people were thinking Cathy McMorris Rodgers (The congresswoman from my district), but then they realized that she was terrible at congressing.

Why would it be a problem for Romney to have a non-southerner as his VP?  I think that would be an assset.

I'm sorry, but after this I read this in a 'lizard people' voice. "Yesss... A northerner will do ssswimmingly..."

[Solifuge]

It's only in one state. It just so happens to be the state I live in, but...yeah. I'm waiting for the riots to come to my hometown.

I don't know about you, but I'm feeling uncommonly riotous right now. The more I see the direction local and national law is going, the more I feel like rioting. Would that I were an inspired leader rather than just some malcontent... I need a direction to ply all these revolutionary urges.

[RedKing]

Why would it be a problem for Romney to have a non-southerner as his VP?  I think that would be an assset.  The only place I see it counting against him that matters would be North Carolina.  But it could work to his credit in New Hampshire and the West to have no association with the southern wing of the GOP.

Can't agree. Ideologically, the Mountain West portion of the party is closer to the South than the North. The old-school "Yankee Republicanism" was one of fiscal conservatism and pragmatism. The Republicanism of Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower. They're the odd ones out in the new GOP, not the anti-immigrant, anti-gay, theocrats that you see in both the Deep South/Southeast *and* in places like Arizona and Colorado. A NH veep (and a woman, no less) places the whole ticket squarely in that throwback school. Which might actually help them in the general election, but it'll cost them some base support.

There's not a lot of upside to being the VP pick in a losing campaign. Think Dan Quayle, think Admiral Stockdale, think Sarah Palin, think Geraldine Ferraro.

Three nobodies and Sarah Palin could hardly be expected to have bright political futures were it not for the VP nominations.  And Sarah Palin could have remained governor of Alaska if she'd actually wanted that and invested a minimal effort into it.  Compare them to Bob Dole who went on to become Senate majority leader after being on a losing ticket and FDR who became freaking FDR.
[/quote]
Lot of difference between then and now. Back then, being a veep pick was a great way to get your name recognized at the national level. But with the 24-hour news cycle you have people like Michelle Bachmann, who by all rights should be mostly unknown outside of her district, becoming a national figure. And once you're known, people expect you to do things. If all you're known for is being "that other guy/gal who lost", it doesn't translate into strong support in the next electoral cycle.

[Nadaka]

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/rep-joe-walsh-doubles-down-accusation-tammy-duckworth-144349000.html

Joe Walsh (R) criticizes his opponent Tammy Duckworth (a veteran who lost both her legs piloting a blackhawk in Iraq) for talking too much about her service to the country.

[Karlito]

I don't know the specifics of that race, but Walsh might actually have a point there.

[Nadaka]

I don't know the specifics of that race, but Walsh might actually have a point there.

He is not a veteran. He is making a judgment on what kind of veteran is a hero or not. Explicitly stating that veterans who talk about their service are not as heroic as those who shut the fuck up and fade into obscurity.

He is also factually wrong. Military service IS relevant in politics. And it isn't the only thing she talks about.

[tryrar]

I don't know the specifics of that race, but Walsh might actually have a point there.

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WHAT

[Heron TSG]

Swiftboating much?

[RedKing]

Yeah, I'm going to have to say Walsh is full of shit there. Especially given he's from the party that wraps itself in the goddamned flag every chance it gets.

Sounds about on par with Saxby Chambliss, the Republican (with no military service) who unseated triple-amputee Vietnam vet Max Cleland from his Senate seat in 2002. All while Republican pundits and Chambliss's own ads questioned Cleland's patriotism and mocked his injuries (with many folks on Internet forums questioning the account of Cleland's injuries and claiming it was because he was clumsy and dropped a grenade, and therefore not worthy of respect).

When Chambliss won, it made me physically ill. 
If Walsh wins, I may have to barf into a bag and mail it to him as a congratulatory gift.

[Karlito]

I wasn't agreeing with Walsh's position necessarily and he's not someone that I like seeing in office, but as someone who doesn't see anything particularly nationalistic or heroic about war or even serving in war, I thought there might have been a valid point buried in there about too much being made of veteran's service in politics.

Or maybe not, I haven't looked too closely into it. Maybe when I get back from class later.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

I don't know why Petraeus would ever accept an invitation to be Romney's VP. His current position is far superior, even if Romney were to somehow win.

[kaijyuu]

The only public office where military service might be relevant would be President, because they're the leader of the armed forces and all.


Politics is all about arbitrary battles of "character" and irrelevant forms of experience, though, so whatever.