The Veepstakes are in high gear. Before offering final prediction, I went back 6 months.
Call it crow. Call it humble pie. Call it being as far off the mark as a drunken archer on acid. What liberals are to accuracy in issues, I am to accuracy in predictions.
Yes, that safe, boring election between Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani is right on track. I did say that McCain could take the republican nomination, but as for the democrats, I was almost as big a nitwit as they were.
Before offering my final VP predictions, below were the guesses I submitted to Michelle Malkin 6 months ago.
"Ms. Malkin, A slogan I stole from a guy named Bill Fleckenstein is "Often wrong, but never in doubt." Here are my VP Predictions: McCain will pick Giuliani. Yes the conservatives will go nuts, but Giuliani would make an amazing attack dog, slashing Hillary while letting McCain be above the fray. This puts states in play, helps with the Jewish vote in key states, and makes Giuliani next in line in the hierarchy that is the republican party. Hillary will pick Max Cleland. He has the credentials of Wesley Clark, but his being disabled will appeal to another special interest group. He is almost impossible to attack...a woman and a disabled person. Romney and Obama are done. Hillary will find a way to destroy Obama at the last second, and Romney cannot get past the hierarchical structure of the republican party. yet, since this is hypothetical... Romney would pick Haley Barbour to balance the ticket. Obama would pick Bob Kerrey (despite Kerrey's earlier comments about him), or again, Max Cleland. Mike Huckabee and John Edwards have no shot. Thompson wants it handed to him but does not like campaigning. Often wrong, but never in doubt. Respectfully, eric aka the Tygrrrr Express 2/1/8"
Ahem…cough cough…well now…
Now, I offer what I really meant.
With the democrats, it will be Delaware Senator Joe Biden.
I have said that the democrats are a bunch of children. Joe Biden is an adult. Yes, an Obama-Biden ticket would be the “All Gasbag” ticket. They are both pompous and insufferable.
Nevertheless, Biden has foreign policy experience. While I found his Iraq partition plan to be hopelessly wrong, at least he had one. Plus, Colonel David Hunt has praised him, and that is high praise from a respected military source.
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is also an adult with a strong resume, but he is a horrible campaigner. Plus, he has “bimbo problems.” Obama does not want to be near any Bill Clinton or John Edwards type scandals.
Indiana Senator Evan Bayh might be one of the most overrated politicians in America. He is colossally boring. Every four years his name gets floated, and I cannot figure out why. His 1996 keynote speech was beyond dull. Also, he is pro-life.
It will be Biden.
For the Republicans, I am still praying that John McCain decides to shock everybody and pick Rudy Giuliani. Given that I have accepted that this will not happen, I still cannot understand why Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle was never suggested. If Sarah Palin of Alaska merited consideration, then Linda Lingle should have as well. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann of Minnesota never received consideration, probably because she only joined Congress in 2006. Look for her in the future.
Therefore, there is only one logical choice for the republicans.
The nominee will be Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.
I have said it before and I will say it again. He is tall, he has good hair, and he is inoffensive. He is safe enough not to make waves, but not so boring like Evan Bayh that he will put people to sleep.
McCain likes him. Everybody likes him. He shined during the Minnesota bridge crisis. Most importantly, he is the only one that will not lead to an open revolt.
The social conservatives will not accept a pro-choice running mate, or one that became pro-life in an election year. The Wall Street Journal Conservatives will not allow a tax raiser. Coalitions are about compromise, and Pawlenty is the consensus compromise candidate.
Obama and Biden will take on McCain and Pawlenty.
Now to go back and scrub my predictions of 6 months ago so nobody sees them.
Then I need to leave a note by the fridge to delete this column and all evidence of it next month.
Often wrong, but never in doubt.
eric
There is one other consideration you have to take into account – picking veeps that are in offices that if vacated remain safe. This in turn must also sometimes be weighed with or against the value of other offices. While the governor of Minnesota, a purple state, will always be up for bipartisan grabs, Pawlenty is one of few options that appeases both Wall Street and Jesusland – and even independents, and leaves the senate safe. On top of that, his name on the ballot may well put final nails on the coffin of the Franken campaign, which would be to the euphoric delight of conservatives. Another consideration, McCains age must be taken into account and grooming a young up-and-comer like Pawlenty fits right into the last best hope for a GOP come-back in the future – the reunification of Wall Street and Jesusland Republicans. On top of all of that, the Midwest has become more and more purple again over the last decade. Without at least a few Midwestern states, no candidate can win the presidency.
Biden is a safe choice given the above considerations. Ya’ don’t get any more Democratic than Delaware. But he does have his problems. He’s an upstager, a bit of a hothead, and not without some share of controversy, albeit minimal. He’s also old and does little to help the party beyond this election. He gives Obama almost no egde in the Midwest, the South, or the West. Richardson helps in the West, but that’s about it. Bayh would help in the Midwest. Tim Kaine would help in Obama’s dream-prize – Virginia, but that’s a heckuva loss of a statewide office for the Dems. Sebelius does nothing to help him anywhere. Sam Nunn would be a coup d’tat, but does nothing for the future of the party beyond this election, like Biden.
So, I pick Pawlenty for McCain, but for Obama, that’s a tough call. My guess now would be Bayh as he would play well against Pawlenty. On the other hand, Biden or Nunn would eat Pawlenty alive in debate.
We shall see.
I did know you guys were all wrong on the Clintons, though. The Dems never belonged nor were beholden to the Clintons. It was a figment of your imaginations. I don’t hate to say it, but, I told you so.
JMJ
JMJ;
“On top of that, his name on the ballot may well put final nails on the coffin of the Franken campaign, which would be to the euphoric delight of conservatives. ”
Bwahahahahaha, o ho ho ho ho ho ho, wahoohoohoohoohhoo.
ROYFLMFAO, LOL, LMFAO. yuk yuk, you crack me up.
Franken could not win an election if he were his only supporter.
Micky, I have two words for you: Jesse Ventura.
Ya’ never know in Minnesoooota.
JMJ
I take Ventura about as seriously as I take Kinky Friedman or Stuart Smally.
We cant control who slaps an “R” or a”D” in front of their name.
I’m sick like that.
Smally loosing is not what I get euphoric delight from. My sickness causes me to laugh at the thought that if narcissism was ever prevalent in a lib Smally is the classic example for even thinking he could ever win an election.
Didnt Smally’s little friend Cindy Sheehan go after Hillarys post also ?
Too much.
No, Sheehan went after the “Pelosiraptor.” Raptors are scary creatures. Are you cons scared of sharp beaked birds? ;)
Ol’ “Smally” is pretty close to Coleman. And as we all know, polls are funny things. As usual, we shall see…
JMJ
yea well, either one makes my point
My dad and I raised about 20,000 macaws.
But they of course are the most intelligent birds there are
JMJ-
I am thankful that you pronounced my homestate correctly :)
The thing with polls, especially MN, is that the Twin Cities are pretty liberal and the outstate areas are more conservative. If you look at the map of the county-by-county vote in 2004 it is easy to see. Similar things happen in Chicago-oustate Illinois. I don’t suspect Al will get more than 30% this year. I did meet Al one time. Of course he doesn’t live in MN, but he came home on his yearly trip to visit his mom in a nursing home. A guy with that much money should have been able to keep his mom at a nice place. Or nearby. I guess he moved there after she died.
I just keep thinking McCain, to show that he really is a maverick will surprise everybody and do something bold. I am not sure who he will pick, but I just think he won’t take any of the people that have been speculated as being on his short list. Much the way Reagan surprised everybody by Picking Bush and Bush shocked everybody by picking Quayle. Something tells me he will do something nobody has predicted just because he can.
I have a hunch Obama will go with Biden although I would not totally rule out Richardson. I still wonder if some deal was cut when Richardson chose to endorse him and not Hillary. I think it probably was but the payoff could be some cabinet level position instead of the VP job.
[…] Time In The Election Game August 22, 2008 — Ash The Tygrrrr has a post up referring to his thoughts six months ago on the US Presidential Election. It’s well worth the […]