From One Convention To Another

Well, the Democratic Convention is over and from all accounts everyone had a good time. More to the point, it seemed well orchestrated and in the end, there did seem to be unity all around. Having seen the energy and heard the messages from Hillary and Bill Clinton as well as Joe Biden, I have to say, I was impressed. The news wires are saying Barak Obama’s acceptance speech last night is being compared to great speeches with those given by former Presidential nominees, including John Kennedy. It appears the Democrats set up their convention to get the most bang for their bucks and made their points which led to an over the top and historic conclusion last night.

I have focused on the fact that the presumptive nominees (we only have one now, Obama is the nominee of his party) had to make really good selections for Vice President to convince the American People their combined ticket was better and the one to vote for. Joe Biden’s credentials are hard to take issue with. I heard Pat Buchanan comment early this morning, in his opinion the luckiest person in the world is the individual John McCain did not select to run with him as his Vice President. And Buchanan is a Republican.

In a previous post I wondered about the rumors that John McCain was considering selecting Joe Lieberman or Mitt Romney. Both seemed problematic from my perspective. But McCain has suggested he may have a surprise announcement for us today. Really? His choice is going to have to have a lot of merit not to backfire and make him look like he is doing something he as already accused Obama of doing, filling a gap in his own resume. Will he pander to the right wing element of his party? Will he pick a VP from a State in which he needs to win? Will he choose someone with a really strong economic background? Will he choose a woman to run with him in an effort to attract women who wanted Hillary to be President ask them to vote for him?

Today is the day McCain has said he will announce his pick for Vice President and the latest rumors include the following: Florida Governor Charlie Crist, Mitt Romney, Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge is also in the mix. Ridge, a McCain friend and former Pennsylvania governor, heads a consulting firm with his biggest drawback in Republican circles being his support for abortion rights. But, he also is from a key battleground state and like McCain, a decorated veteran. There may be others on McCain’s list that have not leaked out, however, these seem to be the top contenders.

I am thinking wouldn’t it be fun if his big surprise is former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani? I have not seen his name mentioned as prominently as any of the aforementioned potential selections. Why would McCain select Rudy? McCain is going to have an uphill battle in a lot of areas no matter whom he selects. And the Democrats are getting ready to pounce on him and pick him apart in a lot of areas. He was already roughed up pretty well by Bill Clinton and Joe Biden this week and the real games have not even begun. I think he may be looking for someone who is not considered a Washington insider but has managed a government. New York is as large as a small state in some respects. Rudy’s one time popularity just before and immediately after 2001 may be easier to resurrect than patching things up with Mitt Romney. Joe Lieberman is from outer space as far as main stream Republicans are concerned. Selecting a woman, any woman, will look like pandering. And it would be. He has to pick someone that can appear to have leadership capabilities and be President if he cannot not complete his term, so, age is important (McCain turns 72 today). Giuliani really never competed as a candidate, just spent his time in Florida and waited for the campaign to come to him. And, finally, McCain will need someone who can go after Obama, hard.

To get more serious, I would than have to go back and select Tom Ridge as my “for real” guess. Ridge was twice elected Governor of Pennsylvania and by some accounts left a positive legacy behind before accepting the role of Homeland Security Advisor. McCain will want to play up the fear factor and prove that the Republicans will have two men in the White House who can wage war against terrorism. Like Bush and Cheney. You know.

But, it be more fun to see Rudy. And trying to guess which Hollywood designer he would use to help him select his outfit for the Inaugural Balls…