Although Sec/state Condoleezza Rice may be campaigning for vice president, I sense no -- and I mean no -- interest on the McCain side in putting her on a short list... at least not yet.
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I've always thought that Condi Rice got the Colin Powell treatment when it came to impressions of who was fucking things up the most in the Bush administration. Maybe it's hard for people to believe that a black person would help the evil white Republicans fuck things up for other oppressed brown people. Or maybe it's because of her ties to academia and Stanford, a university whose mascot is a tree (how quaint and liberal). Anyway, that ability to dodge the crimes of the Bush administration wouldn't last long. The Democrats are loving McCain's embrace of Bush's policies and are doing a good job of tying McCain to Bush. To add Condi Rice to the ticket would make that goal so easy that it'd be almost unfair. It would also enable Obama to escape the stigma of "the black candidate". He'd also be uniquely able to criticize a fellow black politician, since that sort of thing invites cries of racism when it's done by a white politician. Limbaugh's chatter daily for the next four years wouldn't have as much basis for getting out the subconciously racist vote by claiming that "McNabbObama was only elected because he's black". Rice wouldn't expand McCain's bloc any significant amount, and would marry his campaign to the Bush administration. 
OH COME ONE! Strike tags don't work? Phooey.
The case for Condi would be three-fold: -- Doubling-down on Iraq and national security credentials: certainly, Condi is tied to the Bush Admin's Iraq policy, but she can also quasi-legitmately claim to be a key reformer of that policy -- the one person in the Bush inner circle who did beat Cheney and Rumsfeld in the cloak-and-dagger behind-the-scenes game of jostling for influence. As VP she can continue her S.o.S. work of un-*ucking the US's global strategic position. In terms of raw experience there simply may not be anyone else in the GOP with as much raw national security experience absent dusting-off some Reagan-era dinosaur. -- Protecting McCain's "history" flank: Be the Dem nominee Obama or Clinton, either is going to receive tons of cheap publicity and good will for the history-making nature of their candidacies. To some degree, McCain will be forced to make the case against making history in the general election, which is a thoroughly unenviable position. To freeze those whites inclined to go along with the "make history" vibe, Rice makes a strong counter-argument. -- She makes him look good: Facing facts, Condi's just not a very warm personality. Her presenatation can be very cold and dry. By contrast, she actually draws attention to McCain's impish sense of humor and more engaging qualities.
dry_fish - I think you make a decent case for the possibility of her being a VP candidate, but I don't think she passes the strategic threshold. Your second point is probably the most valid, but it comes at the expense of the negative side of your first point. McCain doesn't need any help convincing people that he's convinced Iraq was and still is a good idea. He doesn't need help convincing people that he's a national security guru (despite the al-Qaeda/Iran screw-up), as he's been going around the country reminding people that he was in the Navy and so was everyone else ever named McCain. I do think it is a good point that it'd be a great way of blunting the free publicity angle, though. Maybe there's someone else that McCain can find for this? Bobby Jindal? Michael Steele ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_S._Steele ), who is actually a pretty engaging personality?
Marc, Do I detect a jealousy in losing minority votes to GOP? What hypocrisy? Be happy if GOP is taking people of color seriously. This is why I am an independent. I cannot stand such double-standards.
Rice? 1. No economic, domestic policy experience. 2. Never elected to any office, not even in grade school. 3. No military experience. 4. Lacked executive experience until she moved past "wonk" to be SoS. Unless you count her tenure as a university provost.. 5. Has so much Bush baggage her name really should be "Miss Smithers". 6. Likely would not deliver any appreciable fraction of the black vote. 7. Selection would be seen as a cynical stunt akin to parachuting the deranged Alan Keyes into Illinois to serve as "Insta-Black" against Obama. 8. Can't really point to any foreign affairs matter she has fixed or made better.
Portman and Romney come to mind. And if some people insist Republicans get into the game of Identity Politics - well, Romney is a legit minority like Lieberman and Bloomberg are. The other black that Republican players of diversity bingo like for VP is Mike Steele, but Steele only has elected office experience as a one-term Lt Governor.
I'm surprised that Rice gets any serious discussion as a potential Veep. She doesn't put any states on the table. She has been in the Bush Administration since before the beginning and cannot isolate herself from any of the major policy screw-ups. Her inability to accurately asses intelligence is well-documented and stretches all the way back to her "B-Team" work during the Cold War. She is untested in campaigns and debates and her woeful closed-door political skills were exposed by the humiliation she suffered at the hands of Cheney and Rumsfeld, reducing her prospect of her ability to lead the party after McCain. And on top of that: what is the one thing McCain cannot win without doing? Separating himself from the failures of the Bush Administration. How on Earth does being on stage next to a Bush stalwart (to the point of raising spurious rumors of a romantic affair) help him accomplish that?
The other matter that should be strongly against Rice is Iraq. We have had 6 years of both Parties claiming nothing matters but Iraq, it is the only priority, all other problems can be ignored. Now the public has shifted and said "STFU" about Iraq until you wake up and tell us how you will address America's near fiscal collapse, medicare and SS going broke, the energy crisis and 4-5 dollar a gallon fuel and 40 dollar a bushel grain and global food riots. Tell us how you will address the loss of health insurance and the likelihood we will see America going from 1/6th uninsured working Americans (47 million now). What about jobs outsourced by Bush, the Clintons, and other Global Elites? What about the 1 trillion trade deficit both Parties let develop? Our decline in middle class wages and people? Our crumbling infrastructure and out-of-control immigration boosting our population up to 420 million by 2050? Iraq now ranks 7th or 8th as a voter priority. You now have stories of working people in Michigan and New Hampshire with no ability to afford heat sleeping with their children at their worksites to stay warm. 3 million homes are now worth less than the mortgage owed...60 million are projected to be without health insurance by 2010, 70 million if you include illegals now getting free care by court order. So I guess Rice could run on "Iraq is our only concern" other than to restore relations with other nations that deteriorated badly while Rice was senior foreign policy advisor and SoS...but even McCain blames her for some early disastrous decisions made after the invasion. 100s of hours exist of Rice testifying to things she thought were true that were not, or asserting things would happen in about 80 different countries that went 180 away from her predictions. And if McCain is "weak" on areas outside foreign policy, what signal would he send if he selected foreign policy wonk Rice? That all the other stuff besetting America is just extraneous crap next to "the welfare of the noble Iraqi people"?
Please add Sec. Rice to the ticket - it will make the implicit McCain campaign slogan of "4 More Years!" explicit.
Rice on the ticket would totally prove the bumper sticker - McCain =Bush3
from swimming freestyle: "I sure wouldn't be surprised if John McCain seriously considers Ms. Rice as a valuable asset to his presidential run: Condoleezza Rice enjoys popularity, not only with Republicans but Democrats as well. We've become awful accepting of marginal performance. Shouldn't we have higher expectations than that?" http://swimmingfreestyle.typepad.com
Conda-Lies-A-Lot as VP? Uh, no. She's just as bad as the other Bushies, just with a nicer demeanor and attitude. And by bad, I mean, they sold us a fraudulent war. I'm not for McCain, but picking Conda-Lies-A-Lot would be a big mistake.
Dare to dream. Either her or the latest rumor, Fred Thompson, would be perfect. Pretty please?
I think it depends on McCain's health. So much so that the Republicans' choice for veep will tell us about his life expectancy. A candidate who will help him draw swing voters, particularly disaffected Hillary supporters (think a white woman): McCain is expected to survive the White House. A white male candidate situated to the right of Genghis Khan: the Repubs are worried (or hopeful) that McCain won't make it, and are lining up a successor to complete the Rove Revolution. A black candidate? No way. There is such a thing as a racist vote, why throw it away?
Condi as VP candidate would be an incredible gift to the Dems. Not only would she tie McCain ever more strongly to Bush, but the southern (i.e., racist) right wing of the GOP might use Rice's moderately pro-choice abortion stance as an excuse to sabotage McCain (and thus, in ensuring his defeat, maintain its hold on the party).
Rice would have been a good pick for Romney or (especially) Huckabee, but is not a good one for McCain. --If McCain is going to win the election, he is going to win it on Iraq. He really doesn't need help in that area. Rice is wedded to the Bush Iraq policy with an umbilical cord made of piano wire. McCain needs to have the ability to distance himself from Bush at times. If he picked Rice, one of the media's first storylines would be making her walk the tightrope between the Bush and McCain Iraq policies. Not exactly what you want. --McCain needs to have a veep that social conservatives will accept and possibly like. He needs those voters to come to the polls (getting, at the very least, Bush in 2000-levels among thos voters). Rice is not that person.
Trying to capitalize on the current Democratic infighting by including Rice on the Republican ticket might give a temporary boost, but it would not age well. People would eventually see this nomination as political opportunism. Bush's selection of Cheney added gravitas to the ticket because it was a mature selection that did not bring any apparent political support. This contrasts with Kerry's dog and pony show where his VP search was for the best political theater that would give his ticket some splash, not a reliable back up that would be able to continue his policies. People have a way of seeing beyond the theater over the course of a long campaign.
Forget about the politics of this for a second. Could someone tell me what Rice has done in her 7+ years in the Bush Administration that suggests she is at all capable of being Vice-President, let alone President? I really would like an answer from someone who thinks she has any competence at all.
The fact that she hasn't run for office is actually a great strength. She can take policy positions that compliment or balance McCain's. With Rice on the ticket, even more independents will side with McCain (especially those troubled by Rev.Wright). For this reason, Florida would go McCain for sure. Florida also has one of if not the fastest growing black Republican bases in the country (there has been a strong effort by the state party to reach out, and Gov.Crist has been hailed as "Florida's first black governor").The only person who could better secure Florida would be Crist. Also, she actually does make California seem more realistic. Even if Repubs lose it,they still would have forced the Dems to focus more money and resources in the state. Lastly, she is black and female. In my opinion, gender and race shouldn't be a factor when deciding qualifications, but the historic significance and electoral possibilities are undeniable. While most people may consider her being black as more of an advantage, it's true that nationwide black support for Obama would barely budge (not including the Florida factor). Her being a woman, however is HUGE, especially given the poll numbers indicating that MANY Clinton supporters would defect from the party and vote McCain if she's not nominated (IF...I ment WHEN). I liked Mitt before for economic reasons, but he has a lot going against him and I'm now not so sure that his being on the ticket would reassure voters about McCain and the economy; it may actually undermine him by admitting his weakness. In Florida, voters actually trusted McCain more than they did Romney on the economy. I bet your sick of the Florida references, but... Charlie Crist was my other favorite. With a great ability to unite and as the best retail politician in the nation, independents would eat him up. He gives you Florida. and his green policies and other centrist views would play well in California and other purple states. But that strength may also be his weakness; Conservatives would LOATHE his being on the ticket no doubt. So in my mind, the choice is clear: Condi's positives would outweigh her negatives and her selection as VP wouldn't substantially upset any of the wings of the party while also appealing to to the center.
The fact that she hasn't run for office is actually a great strength. She can take policy positions that compliment or balance McCain's. With Rice on the ticket, even more independents will side with McCain (especially those troubled by Rev.Wright). For this reason, Florida would go McCain for sure. Florida also has one of if not the fastest growing black Republican bases in the country (there has been a strong effort by the state party to reach out, and Gov.Crist has been hailed as "Florida's first black governor").The only person who could better secure Florida would be Crist. Also, she actually does make California seem more realistic. Even if Repubs lose it,they still would have forced the Dems to focus more money and resources in the state. Lastly, she is black and female. In my opinion, gender and race shouldn't be a factor when deciding qualifications, but the historic significance and electoral possibilities are undeniable. While most people may consider her being black as more of an advantage, it's true that nationwide black support for Obama would barely budge (not including the Florida factor). Her being a woman, however is HUGE, especially given the poll numbers indicating that MANY Clinton supporters would defect from the party and vote McCain if she's not nominated (IF...I ment WHEN). I liked Mitt before for economic reasons, but he has a lot going against him and I'm now not so sure that his being on the ticket would reassure voters about McCain and the economy; it may actually undermine him by admitting his weakness. In Florida, voters actually trusted McCain more than they did Romney on the economy. I bet your sick of the Florida references, but... Charlie Crist was my other favorite. With a great ability to unite and as the best retail politician in the nation, independents would eat him up. He gives you Florida. and his green policies and other centrist views would play well in California and other purple states. But that strength may also be his weakness; Conservatives would LOATHE his being on the ticket no doubt. So in my mind, the choice is clear: Condi's positives would outweigh her negatives and her selection as VP wouldn't substantially upset any of the wings of the party while also appealing to to the center.
The fact that she hasn't run for office is actually a great strength. She can take policy positions that compliment or balance McCain's. With Rice on the ticket, even more independents will side with McCain (especially those troubled by Rev.Wright). For this reason, Florida would go McCain for sure. Florida also has one of if not the fastest growing black Republican bases in the country (there has been a strong effort by the state party to reach out, and Gov.Crist has been hailed as "Florida's first black governor").The only person who could better secure Florida would be Crist. Also, she actually does make California seem more realistic. Even if Repubs lose it,they still would have forced the Dems to focus more money and resources in the state. Lastly, she is black and female. In my opinion, gender and race shouldn't be a factor when deciding qualifications, but the historic significance and electoral possibilities are undeniable. While most people may consider her being black as more of an advantage, it's true that nationwide black support for Obama would barely budge (not including the Florida factor). Her being a woman, however is HUGE, especially given the poll numbers indicating that MANY Clinton supporters would defect from the party and vote McCain if she's not nominated (IF...I ment WHEN). I liked Mitt before for economic reasons, but he has a lot going against him and I'm now not so sure that his being on the ticket would reassure voters about McCain and the economy; it may actually undermine him by admitting his weakness. In Florida, voters actually trusted McCain more than they did Romney on the economy. I bet your sick of the Florida references, but... Charlie Crist was my other favorite. With a great ability to unite and as the best retail politician in the nation, independents would eat him up. He gives you Florida. and his green policies and other centrist views would play well in California and other purple states. But that strength may also be his weakness; Conservatives would LOATHE his being on the ticket no doubt. So in my mind, the choice is clear: Condi's positives would outweigh her negatives and her selection as VP wouldn't substantially upset any of the wings of the party while also appealing to to the center.
Honestly, I like Condoleezza Rice. She's intelligent and articulate. She carries the baggage of the War but McCain has that baggage anyway, and she lacks the political background for anyone to attack her for anything *but* the War. Everyone mentions the black woman issue as if Republicans are just looking for a way to compete with the Democrats, but I have to say that seeing a woman or a minority in the White House would mean a lot to me in any case. I would rather it be a Republican, however (or at least *not* Obama or Clinton). I think she would make a great successor to McCain as well.
McCain - Condi? That would simply be a master stroke for the GOP. The move would siply put immense pressure on The Democrats and specifically on Clinton. A democratic ticket without Obama on it will simply give the GOP overwhelming victory at the polls and especially if Condi is on the ticket. The African American backlash on Hillary would simply tilt the balance for GOP, regardless of Condi's past record or her support for the Iraq war. The current mood among the majority of African Americans is that they need one of their own at or near the top. If not Obama, then they would rather do with Condi at number Two.
Yes, please put Rice on the ticket. That's exactly what McCain needs. A VP with no discernable political skills and no following. If you think she will seriously pull black votes or put California in play you are out of your mind. (Do you really think African-Americans just vote for whatever black person is on the ticket? You do realize that early on Hillary was out-polling Obama among blacks, right? You have to earn their votes just like everyone else's.) But let me say, the most wonderful gift of all would be endlessly replaying this clip during the campaign: RICE: I believe the title was, "Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States."
I think it would help Obama if Rice is veep. It would negate,substantially, the bigot vote. Someone who won't vote for a black guy can't go vote for McCain with Rice sitting there as VP. Especially considering he is so old. A Rice VP would turing the race issue on its head and practically negate it.
I think it would help Obama if Rice is veep. It would negate,substantially, the bigot vote. Someone who won't vote for a black guy can't go vote for McCain with Rice sitting there as VP. Especially considering he is so old. A Rice VP would turing the race issue on its head and practically negate it.
The republicans always include a black person or a woman on the short list to make it seem like they are a diverse party. It's just like the black people strategically placed behind Bush wherever he goes to speak. There is zero chance that Rice will be VP. Why would McCain want someone more associated with Bush? But I think there's a big chance they will put her on the short list so the GOP can pat itself on the back for its open mindedness.
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"putting her on a short list"
You mean shorting her stock?
Posted by D | April 7, 2008 11:31 AM