Cantor being vetted by McCain
A recent Politico article has confirmed that presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain’s vice presidential search team has asked for and received the records of Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA07).
This prompted some activity in the Virginia blogosphere:
DJ said: “This is the equivalent of meeting the parents”
Jane wrote: “Please, oh please, let’s have a McCain-Cantor / Obama-Kaine fight in November.”
Write Side asks: “Could it be that, after all the hoopla about Tim Kaine, that Eric Cantor is the one who ends up on a national ticket?”
And Shaun makes the case for Cantor:
Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less? All Eric Cantor folks. $10 million? That’s more than either Virginia Senate candidate has been able to raise thus far (and Cantor does it in one shot).
Better still, Cantor will bring to the light of day Obama’s terrible record on Israel and terrorism, which is a very real conversation this nation should be having.
My own thoughts echo the above, with the additional point that Cantor not only has the ability to raise a ton of money, but will also bring youth, energy, and enthusiasm to the McCain campaign. You can see that energy and enthusiasm on full display when he recently outlined the Republican energy position on Power Line in a clear and concise manner. Not only is the post full of excellent policy positions and strong motivational language — but it’s on the blogosphere. McCain claims he doesn’t know how to use the computer.
With Governor Tim Kaine as a potential VP candidate for the Democrats, McCain would be well-served to have Cantor on his team.
Here’s our podcast with Cantor at the Virginia Republican Convention. At about the 2:00 mark, I ask Rep. Cantor about running as a team with Sen. McCain:
Category: Campaigns and Elections
Loading ...
Doesn’t make any sense, Cantor isn’t known outside of Virginia and he has even less executive experience than McCain. What does he bring to the ticket?
VPs really never make a real impact (Ok, maybe Johnson did for JFK). I mean It is not like Gore helped Clinton and obviously Quayle did not hurt Bush, so there is no real harm in vetting a Virginian unknown outside.
Who knows. Should be interesting.
Outside of Romney, then, I’m not sure who on the Republican short-list would meet Ragnar’s qualifications of
1) Executive experience and
2) Being known nationally
But Ragnar’s not choosing — McCain is. He’s going to pick someone he’s comfortable with and shares his vision for the country…or at least a viable complement.
JR – Don’t forget Gov. Crist. If I were on the McCain campaign staff, he would be my pick. He adds executive experience and he is at least nominally known nationally – and he was willing to flip-flop on his prior blanket opposition to off-shore drilling after McCain changed his position. So, obviously he is ready to be a team player.