Just as they did with "Scott Brown the next president?" the media is jumping into the "pick the next vice president" space filling onslaught.
Obviously there is interest amongst political junkies and the Beltway denizens in the new, high profile Republican office holders especially as there is an ethnic/gender context with which they can flesh out their various scenarios.
With Marco Rubio and Susana Martinez they get the bright young thing and Hispanic angle, with Martinez and Kelly Ayotte the female, with Chris Christie the (literally) larger than life character, and with the likes of John Kasich and Bob McDonnell gravitas and swing state benefits.
We've been through this before when Scott Brown won his upset victory-the media speculation, and all the hoopla which has now faded to a whisper. The reality for Brown is that he is a Republican in a deep blue state and he will have to walk the finest of lines just to hang on to his job as senator-being unlikely to have as an opponent someone as incapable as Coakley next time. He also would bring nothing to the VP slot in respect of adding his states electoral vote to the GOP's column in 2012.
The other up and comer's certainly do bring possible advantages. The Hispanic voting block is certainly something to pursue and both Rubio and Martinez might be perceived as attractive to members of that rising community. Rubio also represent a key swing state. New Mexico whose 5 electoral votes might be the difference between winning or losing in 2012 is a consideration, and Martinez might blunt the very strong Hispanic voting block for the Democratic Party there which assisted Obama to win the state handily.
Whether Christie or Ayotte could bring their blue states in the GOP's electoral columns is questionable but certainly Kasich in Ohio and McDonnell in Virginia have a case for their possible value in that respect.
All that is very well but the wider picture negates each and every one of them as a VP for Sarah Palin. There would be little doubt that one of the major charges the Democratic Party would throw at her is "she has little experience". The situation would be reversed from 2008 where it was Obama who was charged with having no experience and Palin was trumpeted as having had executive responsibility.
Obama countered the experience charge, as did Bush before him, by having as his VP someone with vast legislative experience whose very presence offered reassurance and gravitas to the head of the ticket by inference.This is exactly what Palin needs as well. All of the currently trumpeted VP picks would add further weight to the, no doubt, endlessly shouted slogan "The Republican team has little experience-can you trust them with such important offices?" It would be a valid charge in reality, and no matter how bad the economy might be in 2012 the matter of electing into the two most important offices not one, but two candidates with limited experience, might be a bridge to far for the voting public.
If not the new crop of rising stars then who? Rudy Giuliani is a perfect pick. He has shown loyalty to Palin in a very difficult time in 2008, has been at her side, visibly in support in more recent times e.g. he escorted her to a Yankee's game (which gave rise to the of notorious Letterman gaffe about Palin's daughter) and was honorably supportive of Palin on "The View" defending her from attack by the GOP establishment.
He brings unquestioned gravitas, experience, respect for his major accomplishments and, who knows, he might even cut into Obama's vote in the Dem's East Coast bastions. He is an accomplished speaker and has foreign affairs credibility having travelled and done extensive business overseas. A Catholic, socially liberal, but acceptable to the GOP rank and file, (especially if he is selected by Palin) and perceived by the media and wider public as stable. Certainly he has had personal troubles of a domestic nature, but the country has moved on from that sort of thing being an overarching concern.
A Palin-Giuliani ticket is an excellent balance, brings dynamism, relative youth mixed with experience, is appealing and can bring victory.
NB. Republican Rep. Pete Sessions, a staunch opponent of abortion rights and a vocal supporter of Rudy Giuliani, told TV preacher Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network that the former NYC mayor would, if he were in Congress, be considered “pro-life.”
“In a hypothetical comparison of congressional votes, Mayor Giuliani’s voting record would mirror the voting record of Fred Thompson, including votes on partial birth abortion, taxpayer funding on abortions, and parental notification laws. Mayor Giuliani respects the values of social conservatism, and his position on these issues would categorize him as a predominately pro-life Member of Congress.”
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