Intrigue of McCain VP Selection
John McCain is likely to announce his VP selection Friday or Saturday. Sources close to the McCain campaign, and others close to Mitt Romney say McCain wants to see how the Democratic convention plays out and the impact of Barack Obama’s acceptance speech before finalizing and announcing his decision.
These sources say the selection will be based on what McCain and his team think is required to win in the two-month sprint to election day, and whether any of the VEEP candidates can significantly help. Here’s some of the thinking:
-- Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is a safe, plausible, non-controversial choice, and perhaps the frontrunner. He won’t make a big difference in the campaign, but won’t hurt.
-- An intriguing and rising prospect is Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. The move would be designed to win support of disillusioned independent women upset over Democrats’ treatment of Hillary Clinton.
-- Romney is still very much in the mix, but only if McCain thinks he needs Romney to win battleground states like Michigan, Colorado and New Mexico, and if he needs Romney’s fundraising prowess. Romney supporters have let it be known they are poised to quickly raise $50 million if Romney is on the ticket. That has significant appeal. McCain knows Romney would be the most effective attack dog. He’s smart, media savvy and ready to hit the trail.
-- Romney’s negatives continue to be significant. The Mormon issue won’t go away; anti-Mormon zealots will mount a nasty, national campaign to discredit him. Additionally, despite the Romney/McCain kiss and make up, the two are still not close. The two have much-different styles and McCain doesn’t really like Romney all that much. Would Romney have too much star power for the No. 2 slot?
So, it will be a very interesting decision. Perhaps McCain will surprise all of us with an entirely unexpected pick.
Podcast Watch
At Podcasting at Weber, WSU political science professors Thom Kuehls and Leah Murray discuss the 2008 Democratic and GOP national conventions.
Today in Political History
Aug. 27, 1908: Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th president of the United States, is born near Stonewall, Texas.
Aug. 27, 1979: British war hero Lord Louis Mountbatten is killed off the coast of Ireland in a boat explosion; the Irish Republican Army claimed responsibility. (Source: NY Times)
Wise Words
“If a fellow isn't thankful for what he's got, he isn't likely to be thankful for what he's going to get.”
-- Frank A. Clark (Source: Quote Garden)
Campaign Tip
Testing Messages Via Survey Research
When every fledgling campaign comes into existence, it soon realizes two important things. First, the opposing campaign is not the only competition it faces; and, second, having the best qualified candidate doesn’t guarantee success. The primary reasons for both phenomena are essentially the same: it is getting more difficult to reach people. As a result, sometimes the campaign that wins isn’t always the one with the best candidate, but is the one with the best message and strategy for communicating it!
Getting messages right requires some research. As today’s campaigns are being waged in the Information Age, the nature and prevalence of opinion research and polling has changed. Once considered a staple only in multimillion dollar U.S. Senate and gubernatorial campaigns, it is now becoming a common fixture in races at all levels of government. Without opinion research, many campaigns succumb to the mistake of spending resources talking to the wrong audiences and, worst of all, touting the wrong messages or candidate virtues. (Source: Complete Campaigns)
National Politics
Best Stories From . . .
-- Reuters: Hillary Clinton delivers ringing call for Democratic unity
-- The Hill: Analysis: Dem convention off to rocky start
-- New York Times: Maureen Dowd: High anxiety in the Mile-High City
-- Huffington Post: Paul Begala: Please, Democrats, attack
-- Washington Post: Eugene Robinson: Democrats, snap out of it
-- Gallup: McCain moves ahead in the polls after Obama picks Biden
-- Politico: McCain plans VP rollout this weekend in three battleground states
-- Baltimore Sun: Thomas Schaller: How the West will be won
Blog Watch
-- Bloggers at The Utah Amicus post regular updates throughout the day from the Democratic National Convention in Denver. -- At TAPPED, Mark Schmitt interviews Utah Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bob Springmeyer.
-- At The Senate Site, Sen. John Valentine disputes several elements of this Bob Bernick story on legislative staff salaries, noting: "This isn't personal. When facts spill out that give citizens a misleading impression of our work on their behalf I believe we have a right -- maybe a responsibility -- to offer further perspective. In actuality, we let it slide most of the time but the current situation seems to be moving beyond accidental slip-ups by an otherwise professional, hard-working reporter."
Lighter Side
“Duct tape is like The Force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together.”
-- Oprah Winfrey (Tea Leaf)
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