After the Biden pick, can McCain afford a pro-Choice nominee?

[saltpoint]

Obama's choice of Great Democrat Joe Biden may have forced McCain's hand while narrowing his shortlist for the GOP vice presidential nomination.

Obama's selection of Biden may make it more/less likely that McCain will choose a pro-Choice nominee. Also, the Biden choice may make it more/less likely that McCain wil choose a fundie-friendly nominee.

Of the already pathetic roster of options available to McCain, which do you think most likely to be named?

[Lucinda]

1. I dunno. I know he was testing the idea out recently but

I think he may have too much trouble with a base that's not crazy about him to start with to take the chance...

[annabanana]

2. What an empty list. . There's nothing there. . . n/t

[Muttocracy]

3. I bet if you showed that list to most Americans they'd say "Who?"

[frogcycle]

4. I predict that McCain will

call up Romney and say "here, YOU run! I'm outta here!"

[saltpoint]

10. LOL! Romney's probably locked himself in the bathroom, sobbing

and wailing.

[Arnold Judas Rimmer]

17. And more than likely...

...soiling his holy underwear :rofl:

[saltpoint]

20. Mitt thought he had outgrown these "accidents," but under the

heat of public scrutiny and after imagining himself trying to debate Joe Biden, the episodic soilings became more and more frequent.

- - -

I will say this for Romney. He only has had one wife. McCain and Giuliani, his early rivals for the nom, have had what -- 6 or 8 between them? Something like that.

[opihimoimoi]

5. He has painted himself into the proverbial CORNER

Confused and bewildered...the Camp Cain is undergoing therapy for being LOST in the Woods causing anxiety beyond normal...hyperventilating even...

[Ichingcarpenter]

6. I wonder which pig wants to eat at McCain's trough

Any on that list is either diseased or running the risk of ruining
their political career

[GrizzlyMan]

7. He's boxed in

Pawlenty - a nobody that can't deliver Minnesota

Hutchinson -Gimme a break. I hope he picks her, or Palin.

Jindal -nut case and a little too dark skinned for the Repug base.

Romney - He feeds into the "out of touch" mantra nicely.

Ridge - A huge risk because of his pro choice stance, but I think that's the pick. McCain will try to cut us off at the knees in PA and roll the dice they can carry the heavy fundie states they always carry.

[LonelyLRLiberal]

13. Ridge was my guess, too.

I was thinking about PA, but forgetting he was pro-choice. However, Republicans seem to have no problem changing positions or ignoring that issue when it becomes politically expedient.

[saltpoint]

15. Ridge is still possible, and Pennsylvania would be a closer

race with him on the GOP ticket, but I think we'd still carry it.

I think Virginia is closer if McCain picks Cantor but I still think we upset the Pukes in Virginia this cycle.

I think he could Ohio closer with Kasich and Portman either one, but I think we still carry Ohio.

Absolutely agree on Pawlenty -- he won't carry Minnesota for McCain. There's a chance that John McCain wil win zero Great Lakes states. Indiana is the closest chance he has, IMO.

He might have to dig deep into the bag of tricks and pull out Franklin Graham. He needs a Hail Mary go-for-broke nominee who will rally the fundies.

Brownback could do it.

Or Franklin Graham.

[eleny]

8. Maybe he has to pick someone more unknown to Americans

Someone who doesn't have much history. :shrug: I have no clue and I bet he's pulling his last hairs.

[smoogatz]

22. Melissa Theuriau?

Oh, right. French.

[AlCzervik]

9. my dark horse is Meg Whitman, i'm sure i'm wrong because i usually am but i'm consistent!

he needs someone with a business background imo, no matter how bad it is.

[saltpoint]

11. Is she a Republican? Is she making too much money to quit and

become a loser Republican?

I'm not that famliar with her. I just know who she is.

And hell, it might as well be her as anybody else.

[AlCzervik]

14. she is indeed, i'm almost sure she was a guest at the 2004 rnc circle jerk.

she was the ceo of Ebay.

[saltpoint]

16. Well, yuck then. That is going to quell my interest in eBay considerably.

Shame on her!

[AlCzervik]

19. Do remember when Cheney told us all to stop bitching because we could all

be getting rich selling crapola on Ebay?

[liberal renegade]

12. He needs the dude

who wears the magic mormon underwear.

[smoogatz]

18. He's screwn.

He's got to pick Huckabee, I think, assuming Huck survives the vetting process. He can't pick a pro-choicer unless he wants to squander his Saddleback "win," and whatever confidence he's managed to garner among the fundie crowd.

[saltpoint]

21. Yes. Obama generally and Obama's Biden pick currently has

forced McCain to choose a fundie-friendly veep pick, and in the process, forces the GOP to reinforce the very thing that is sucking it dry and dead -- the far-right literalist fundie nutbags.

This is sweet.

[saltpoint]

23. Do you think McCain & his team have made their choice already?

I'm wondering if they'd made it, but now have to reconsider.

The media generally are suggesting that Romney and Pawlenty are getting heavy consideration. Maybe one of them will be chosen. Either one is going to look like a chump in the veep debate versus Biden, though.

[Douglas Carpenter]

24. McCain cannot and will not select a pro-choice nominee. That will not happen

The so-called "pro-life" movement is an absolutely essential element of the GOP coalition on the national level.

To appoint a pro-choice nominee would shatter their coalition.

The opposition to abortion rights and the opposition to gun control have large numbers of single issue voters who consistently vote Republican for those reasons and those reasons alone.

Selecting a pro-choice V.P. nominee would be about as likely as the Democrats selecting a pro-segregationist nominee. "Pro-life" is an absolute point of moral principle to a large number of faithful Republican voters.

To run a pro-choice V.P. nominee would be to dismantle the National Republican Party in its current form.

[Mass]

25. Less likely - Biden's choice makes it clear that Obama is prochoice (if it was needed to make this

clear), and therefore there is no point choosing a pro choice nominee.

If McCain had some guts, he would choose Jindal, who is conservative, young, dynamic, and could bring some RW minorities back to him, but, as he is a wimp, he probably will go with Pawlenty.