Romney/McDonnell?
By Chris | Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 | PoliticsAccording to Politico, this morning Mitt Romney was on The View promoting his new book, No Apology: The Case for American Greatness, when he was asked who he would like to see run for President in 2012. He answered like this:
“There are lots of good people out there. There are all the familiar names. But there’s some people you don’t know so well. This new guy that got elected in Virginia as governor, Bob McDonnell, we’re going to get a chance to see him. He could be a strong contender.”
Lots have folks have already commented on the great campaign McDonnell ran last year, and we certainly ought to let the man get settled in his current job before we start talking about a promotion. However, when those words of praise start coming on national television from one of the leading contenders to be the GOP’s Presidential nominee in 2012, a lot more people are going to start paying attention to what’s happening in Virginia.
I guess this also means Romney doesn’t hold that Fred Thompson endorsement against the Governor.
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Chris Obenshain has been involved in Republican politics literally since the womb, when he attended Virginia's famous 1978 Convention in utero. 30 years later he still can't get politics out of his bloodstream. He currently works as a lawyer in southwest Virginia and serves as Chairman of the Roanoke Area Young Republicans chapter. As Old Zach, he helped found the blog Sic Semper Tyrannis in 2004 and has been blogging off and on ever since. He has also proudly served in the United States Army Reserve since 2002.
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17 Responses to "Romney/McDonnell?"
Is this an effort by Romney to shore up his evangelical flank, or just a courtesy to a successful Republican Governor whose electoral votes he may need in the future?
Could we be that fortunate to have Bob McDonnell as our President? If he runs I will drop what I am doing and work as hard as I can to get this outstanding Virginian elected. Shades of Thomas Jefferson! We need a man like him now more than ever.
Chris,
I actually think it may be a little bit of both.
McDonnell will have Vice-Presidential prospects regardless of who wins the Presidential nomination. He could add his big state experience and military background to a Palin or Huckabee ticket, and he would not be in conflict with them ideologically. For Romney, he could help to shore up the very voters that Romney may have trouble with. Even Pawlenty could benefit from McDonnell on his ticket.
However, if there was one lesson that I learned from 2008 it was that Vice-Presidential candidates do not usually win elections, only the candidate himself or herself can do that.
How about for once politicians actually do the job they were elected for?
Bob McDonnell was elected to serve a four year term. He should finish that term.
Steve…I sort of agree with you. However, if McDonnell is ASKED by Romney to serve as VP, he would have to give in consideration.
In a special from BD coming soon, McDonnell does talk about his commitment to his current job.
I can see McDonnell doing this but not with Romney. Romney is a fish that swims with public opinion and what his advisers say. I understand that Scott Brown’s victory helps him and that he has people working on the Gov. race in California, but i am not a big fan of Romney. Further, Obama has 100 million in the bank (approx) to spend and he will be very difficult to defeat. If McDonnell loses as a VP pick he fades into obscurity (ala Edwards before the sex scandal, and no i am not comparing him to Edwards i am simply saying that they would be in similar positions politically).
This is a tough call for me, i want him to succeed greatly, but i am not sure VP in 2012 is the best fit for him.
McDonnell has already said on national TV that he is committed to VA and will finish out his term, he said this to Chris Wallace about 2 weeks after winning the election last November. That said, people would have to be very foolish to count him out of anything, and Mark Warner better be watching his six, because if a Republican wins the White House in 2012, McDonnell is going to take that Senate seat from him, and prep himself for a run in 2020 or to be VP in 2016. If Obama gets a 2nd term, I think McDonnell will through his hat in for 2016.
If McDonnell finishes out his term as Governor and THEN decides he and his family are up for another campaign, I really don’t see him running for anything except President of the United States. In my own humble opinion, that is where he belongs if he so chooses.
Kathy – I agree that with you on McDonnell being President, but I think he won’t want to sit out until 2020, because you get rusty and people forget who you are – thus the reason I think that his decision all depends on what happens in 2012. GOP ouster of Obama means an incumbent in 2016, and McD runs for something else, just to keep beefing up the resume.
Bob McDonnell is one of the most ambitious people I’ve ever met. I don’t say that as a criticism. If he’s offered the vp slot in 2012, I’d expect he’d take it. Who’d be offering it is a good question. Romney would be the best GOP candidate if not for the Mormon thing, which I think would be a more serious hinderance to him than most on the GOP side do.
Steve, I think you are spot on. The Evangelical Right (if you agree with them or not), is not going to allow a Mormon to get the nomination. Romney has to shore up this weakness (real or perceived) and I think Bob would do that for him. However with this line of thinking, Romney would have to secure the nomination and then select his VP choice, which I don’t see that happening (above statement).
JM: Actually, thinking about this again, the Mormon thing might be more of a disadvantage to Romney in the general than in the primaries. In 2008, the media generally left the Mormonism issue alone, even though Romney was seen as the leading challenger to McCain. If a Mormon actually became the nominee, I think then you would see more emphasis on stories about “Whot are the Mormons and what do they actually believe.” I think that exposure would hurt the nominee among all mainline Christian faiths, not just Evangelical Christians.
J.M. and Steve, while I am a Christian and do not believe in adding to or taking away from the Bible, when it comes to business, Mormons are the best business people I have ever dealt with. I have never had a Mormon be dishonest, lie, cheat, or steal from me ever. When I have traveled and done conferences, I have never seen them cheat on their wives, do drugs or drink.
I cannot say the same for those who profess Christianity. I wish I had all the money now that has been taken over the years from me with the businesses I’ve had. Trusted employees and partners no less. I could pay off my car and half of my house. Those that have known me for a long time know this is true.
The point is: I hope Romney’s chance will not hinge on his faith. JFK was a Catholic when “Catholic’s” had a hard way to go in politics. I hope we’ve grown. A person should be judged by their walk. We need to have more tolerance of each other. Lord knows we need grace and mercy ourselves.
Very interesting posts from everyone! Thank you for your comments. As an ardent Romney supporter, I was dismayed at the “faith” issue during the 2008 Presidential Elections. Romney was targeted by McCain and Huckabee early on as the weakest link and they were relentless in their assault. So be it…that is politics, or as Charlie Crist recently told Marc Rubio in Florida – “Welcome to the NFL”. Having said that, we are now in 2010 and the issue today is the same as when it was said back in 1992 – “It’s the economy stupid”. Jobs, Unemployment, National Deficit…these are all huge issues and demand someone who has a history of turning things around. Someone who can take something like a State Government awash in red ink and a Winter Olympics that is wrought with scandal and deep in the red as well and “right the ship”. That someone is Governor Romney. He has shown how to do it time and time again. We need him to “right the ship” on the National stage. I say that as an evangelical christian man as well. When I step into the voter box, I am not electing a “Pastor-in-Chief”. I am electing a “Commander-in-Chief” who can lead our Country out of the troubles we see ourselves in. Now as to his potential VP pick…I recommend JC Watts or perhaps Michelle Bachman. I agree with Kathy that it should not depend on their faith. I hope and pray that we have outgrown that shallow type of thinking…
Jim,
I too was a Romney supporter in 2008 Primary.
I like the”Data Driven Guy” who gathers all of the information, and then formulates a plan on what to do.
I believe Americans are looking for comptetence, and the willingness to serve more than anything. Romney’s adherence to his Mormon Faith is a plus rather than a minus. Picking up with Kathy Mateer above-and I agree, the reputation and practices of the Mormons is by and far better than any organization I have seen.
The competence I am looking for that I see in Mitt Romney is the ability cut and restructure the Leviathan we call the Federal Govt.
If he holds to the skills he has employed with Baine Capital, 2002 Olympics and applies this to the Presidency, then we have some hope of retaining the capitalist system that has made this country the envy of the world.
Of course, he has to get elected first….
Jim:
I wasn’t raising the “religious issue” out of bigotry or any bad wishes for Romney. As a non-Christian, what Mormons believe doesn’t seem any odder to me (well, okay, not TOO much odder) than what Catholics or Baptist, or any other religious group believes. However, what they believe IS different than what those other groups believe and I think, just as a matter of political analysis, that that will matter to people of faith, once they understand it.
As to the question of a candidates faith not mattering, I completley agree with you — up to a point.
When the candidate’s choice of religion makes you question their basic reasoning skills — lets say the candidate was a Scientologist, for example — that’s a valid consideration in your decision to support them or not.
I’ve had two people in the last 24 hours tell me Newt Gingrich should run with Colin Powell and they would win. I wonder where that is coming from. Colin Powell would pull in a lot of votes but Romney (Mormon) would pass the “religious” test before Gingrich (Baptist turned Catholic) because of choices in life that “the religious right” would find hard to forgive. Logs in eyes always blur vision.
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