Carly Fiorina Vetted By Cruz Campaign
[guest post by Dana]
A senior strategist to Carly Fiorina said today that Fiorina is being vetted as a potential running mate for Ted Cruz:
“Normal stuff,” said Sarah Isgur Flores, who served as deputy campaign manager during Fiorina’s bid, when asked about the process. She added that Fiorina has met with members of the Cruz campaign and has given them financial disclosures and other documentation. Flores added that “no offers” have been made.
Ted Cruz confirmed that they are vetting a short list of potential running mates:
“We have acknowledged some time ago that we have begun a vice presidential search process,” Cruz said. “Any responsible candidate just a couple of months out from the convention would begin that process. We’ve begun examining both a long list and now a shorter list. And that naturally includes a vetting process. At this point, no decisions have been made in terms of who a nominee would be, or what the timing would be of the announcement.”
Commentators have suggested that announcing a VP choice now could put some needed juice back into Cruz’s post-New York campaign.
If you are thinking that Marco Rubio, who collected and holds 171 delegates, would be a good choice, too bad. As recently as three days ago, he said it’s a no-go:
“I have no intention of being vice president,” Rubio said in a Friday interview with Univision. “I’m always looking for a way to serve the nation, but I don’t believe that it will be as vice president and I’m really not seeking it, I’m not requesting it, and it won’t happen.”
Of course, Paul Ryan said the same thing about not running for Speaker of the House – five times! – and look where he is today: Speaker of the House and releasing his second campaign-styled ad. Not that he’s running for anything.
Who would you like to see on the ticket with Ted Cruz?
–Dana
FWIW, Kasich says he’s not interested in being anyone’s veep, but he is open to a Democrat as his veep.
Dana (0ee61a) — 4/25/2016 @ 10:25 pmI’d rather have someone with some experience, as I’ve been saying from the beginning. But if Rubio’s ego won’t allow him to be Vice President even if he’s not going to be a Senator anymore, what else can Cruz do?
L.N. Smithee (d3752a) — 4/25/2016 @ 10:34 pmTwo Hispanics on the ticket? Not this election.
Carly is a
nk (dbc370) — 4/25/2016 @ 10:43 pmgoodgreat choice but I wish she had kept her maiden name. 😉I think Fiorina would fit the bill as a tenacious attack dog, whether on Trump or Clinton. But if he’s looking at female possibilities, there’s Gov. Haley and Gov. Martinez
Serious contenders would seem to have to include Bobby Jindal and Scott Walker.
Dana (0ee61a) — 4/25/2016 @ 10:45 pmBet you a dollar it’s going to be Mike Lee.
nk (dbc370) — 4/25/2016 @ 10:53 pmIn Newspeak, equality is when when women are free to dish it out, but men are never allowed to dish it back. You’ve come a long way baby! Cruz will need a VP who can dish it back with impunity and is good at it. Carly fits the bill. Haley and Martinez, not so much. I don’t think it even matters that Carly often seems cross and disagreeable, because so does Mrs. Clinton. Carly would be a great choice, though I’d prefer Camille Paglia.
ThOR (a52560) — 4/25/2016 @ 11:18 pmI read a while back that Walker said he wasn’t really interested in VP, as he’s a governor (Kasich said ‘zero interest’, for similar reasons).
Gov. Martinez’s press sec. has made comments in a similar vein.
For Walker in particular, that makes sense: the VP doesn’t really get to steer things, and he’d be abandoning a state he wrested from Dem/union control.
Not surprising that Kasich is open to a Dem as a V.P.-his positions on many issues are more in line with theirs…
Cruz and Trump had both mentioned Walker and Rubio as possibilities; Trump mentioned Kasich as well.
Ibidem (970323) — 4/25/2016 @ 11:41 pmCruz/West
mg (31009b) — 4/26/2016 @ 12:29 amClinton/Kasich
Fiorina make me a sammich.
mg (31009b) — 4/26/2016 @ 12:30 amTo bad Mattis won’t run.
gbear (35fafe) — 4/26/2016 @ 3:32 amIs there more than one lady governor Martinez? Because the lady governor Martinez of the state where only the men wear high heels is a Democrat.
nk (dbc370) — 4/26/2016 @ 4:37 amOops, sorry. Suzana Martinez is a Republican. Where did I get the idea she was a Democrat?
nk (dbc370) — 4/26/2016 @ 4:40 amI see. She was a Democrat until 1995. Let Trump have her.
nk (dbc370) — 4/26/2016 @ 4:42 amwho’d be desperate and attention-starved enough to sign on to a deadender second-ballot goldy sacky joke campaign like harvardtrash ted’s
oh right carly
happyfeet (831175) — 4/26/2016 @ 4:50 amWomen are always throwing themselves away on some worthless man.
nk (dbc370) — 4/26/2016 @ 4:56 amted may have conned her though with false promises and misleading declarative statements
he’s very desperate and you have to give her the benefit of the doubt (for now)
happyfeet (831175) — 4/26/2016 @ 4:59 amI saw a statement once by Martinez where she said that she was a Democrat until she realized that her beliefs and values were actually consistent with what Repubs believed.
MD back in Philly!!! (f9371b) — 4/26/2016 @ 5:11 amPro-life.
nk (dbc370) — 4/26/2016 @ 5:16 amPeople are allowed to change their minds. I seem to remember our last really good President was a dem until the party left him.
Bill H (dcdd7b) — 4/26/2016 @ 5:55 amYeah, that was unfair. I should be careful what I deduce off the internet.
nk (dbc370) — 4/26/2016 @ 5:58 amwhat helps mr. the donald are lazy lazy angry vulgar people with minds slower than harvardtrash Heinz ketchup who don’t read or think but drink the h8rade and like to complain and not think.
this is clear to anyone who reads and does the analysis.
this message is approved by e.e. cummings insects on acid.
Simon Jester (848ce3) — 4/26/2016 @ 6:02 amSpeaking of people leaving us, Bill H, were you by any chance a regular commenter at Big Lizards?
nk (dbc370) — 4/26/2016 @ 6:03 amNk, I do think that someone with administrative experience would be a good idea for VP.
What’s your best guess on HRC’s choice for Veep?
Simon Jester (848ce3) — 4/26/2016 @ 6:04 amOn a brighter note, Fiorina as veep would not make me unhappy. She’s proven she can hammer the hell out of Sir Hillary. If that’s all she manages to do during this cycle, she’s done her job.
Bill H (dcdd7b) — 4/26/2016 @ 6:06 amNo clue, Simon. DRJ has suggested one of the Castro brothers (the Texas ones) and it makes sense in a lot of ways. Young, liberal, Hispanic, mayor of San Antonio, HUD Secretary.
nk (dbc370) — 4/26/2016 @ 6:09 amNo, NK, I don’t even know that site. The only thing my tiny brain can even think of was Little Green Footballs, and I haven’t even been there for several years, much less comment.
Bill H (dcdd7b) — 4/26/2016 @ 6:09 amI think either Jim Gilmore or George Pataki would be a good fit and I hear they are both available.
mark johnson (676201) — 4/26/2016 @ 6:17 amI would say Cruz should get a general or admiral. Rubio and Martinez would scare the low end of the wage scale while Haley and Jindal would scare the techies. Both tickets will be risk-averse with their VP choices. However since the Rs will pick first, HRC can go blue dog/ex-military/vanilla if Rs run a shade of brown VP.
urbanleftbehind (08453d) — 4/26/2016 @ 6:20 amI liked Carly during the primaries, and I’d love to see her part of a Cruz campaign. I suspect it’s not going to happen, though.
I’m getting used to being disappointed.
Pious Agnostic (c45233) — 4/26/2016 @ 6:25 amYes to Carly, or Mattis (we should be so lucky) or Mike Lee or perhaps just trust Cruz to make the right choice in his wisdom.
Colonel Haiku (44c9fa) — 4/26/2016 @ 6:37 amI’m not sure how much VP picks really matter to the general election.
Right now it’s a sort of wasted office.
In 1789 the VP, as President of the Senate and the candidate who came in second in the electoral college vote, was clearly intended to be the leader of the Opposition. I think Bush made very good use of Dick Cheney as a Senate wrangler. I would like to see Cruz pick one of the establishment Senate leaders to do his parliamentary wrangling.
Gabriel Hanna (98a034) — 4/26/2016 @ 6:41 amClinton and Puddin’ Dunham…
Colonel Haiku (44c9fa) — 4/26/2016 @ 6:42 amTwo Hispanics on the ticket? Not this election.
And there you have one of the reasons that some Trumpies won’t vote for Cruz.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/26/2016 @ 6:56 amCarly would be a great choice, though I’d prefer Camille Paglia.
Considering some of the Democrats, I’d prefer Buffy Summers.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/26/2016 @ 7:01 amhappyfeet doesn’t have much use for women. Never did. Trashes women, wives, daughters, whatever. Not as endearing as he thinks it is.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/26/2016 @ 7:03 amYes, Kevin, that’s exactly what I was implying.
BTW, Florina is a province in Macedonia. Its motto is “Where Greece begins”. I’m not saying that Fiorina is a variant and I’m not saying that it’s not. 😉
nk (dbc370) — 4/26/2016 @ 7:07 amThat’s Macedonia, Greece. Not Skopje, Titoland.
nk (dbc370) — 4/26/2016 @ 7:09 amWhere Alexander the Great was from.
nk (dbc370) — 4/26/2016 @ 7:10 amI think, though, that Cruz doesn’t really need to shore up his hard-ass credentials. He needs a VP who can work a room, tell a joke AND drop the hammer when need be. Say what you will about Biden, he can do all those things. I like Carly. I liked her better than Cruz for President but she never got past the HP thing. But she doesn’t really have the charm thing down.
Rubio would be excellent, particularly since he is not being used elsewhere, and he has all those nice electoral votes. Kasich would be terrible for all the reasons Rubio would be great except the electoral votes. Palin might be an interesting choice if the Trump crowd was important to woo, but I think just making Trump the Wall Czar would help enough (and Palin has so much baggage).
I*m guessing Rubio.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/26/2016 @ 7:20 amIt was already in the news Sunday night that the candidates were already starting to consider vice presidents (they have to if they want them to go through the post-1972, post-Thomas Eagleton vetting process, which takes time) and that Cruz might announce a vice president before the convention (as has been the case with every nominee since 1976) and that it probably would be Carly Fiorina. It’s 90% certain it will be Carly Fiorina.
Hillary Clinton’s campaign is throwing out all kinds of disinformation, and alleged reasoning, but when you put it all together it adds up to Maria Cantwell, especially since her name is NOT being leaked.
Donald Trump is probably making no plans at all, which may limit him (if he wants some vetting) to presidential candidates (who have all filed some financial disclosures) and it could be Chris Christie, but would more likely be Ben Carson.
Sammy Finkelman (a5988d) — 4/26/2016 @ 7:23 am“I*m”
I have the most interesting typos.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/26/2016 @ 7:23 amCruz might announce a vice president before the convention (as has been the case with every nominee since 1976)
Well, there hasn’t been a contested convention since 1976, so that’s not much of a statistic.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/26/2016 @ 7:25 amHillary will not announce her VP choice until after the GOP candidate is known, although either Trump or Cruz this is the year for an Hispanic VP in the Democrat calculus. The reasons differ in the two cases, but the answer is the same. She doesn’t help herself by hiding from the Hispanics issues against Trump, so she might as well go on attack. And she doesn’t need to alienate men more by picking another woman.
A 40-something Hispanic man is what Democrat central casting demands. I’d say Julian Castro if he didn’t look so much like Sheldon Cooper.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/26/2016 @ 7:32 am“I*m”
I have the most interesting typos.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/26/2016 @ 7:23 am
===================================================
Don’t be so hard on yourself, Kevin. No judgments made.
Colonel Haiku (44c9fa) — 4/26/2016 @ 7:41 amRe: Paglia…
PAGLIA: Yes, I’ve been in a rut on lamb vindaloo.
COWEN: A rut, tell us.
PAGLIA: It’s a horrible rut.
COWEN: It’s not a horrible rut, it may be a rut.
PAGLIA: No, it’s a horrible rut. It’s a 40-year rut. Every time I go to an Indian restaurant, I say “Now, I’m going to try something new.” But, no, I must go back to the lamb vindaloo. All I know is it’s like an ecstasy for me, the lamb vindaloo.
COWEN: Like De Quincey, tell us, what are the effects of lamb vindaloo?
PAGLIA: What can I say? I attain nirvana.
— Conversation between Tyler Cowen and Camile Paglia who once described Indian food as her substitute for LSD
I guess one should try the lamb vindaloo?
Colonel Haiku (44c9fa) — 4/26/2016 @ 7:52 amI agree with Kevin 39 that Rubio would be the best choice. He adds the things Cruz lacks — charm, dekegates, and the establishment likes him — without betraying his voters since Cruz will set the agenda.
However, I doubt Rubio will agree until Cruz has the nomination, if then. Fiorina may be the best alternative if Cruz has to announce a VP before the Convention, but I think Cruz hopes this vetting story is enough to partially change the subject from Trump.
NM Gov Susana Martinez has a recent scandal on her hands. Not a big one but it involved using her status to pressure the police to ignore a noise complaint. Conservatives won’t like that but Trump and establishment types might like her flexiblility. I think the main reason Cruz won’t select Martinez is because she endorsed Rubio.
DRJ (15874d) — 4/26/2016 @ 8:02 amSF: Cruz might announce a vice president before the convention (as has been the case with every nominee since 1976)
Kevin M: Well, there hasn’t been a contested convention since 1976, so that’s not much of a statistic.
In 1976, Ronald Reagan named Pennsylvania Senator Richard S. Schweiker as his vice-presidenttial nominee before the convention. The choice of Schweiker surprised everyone as he was an extremely liberal Republican, more so even than Weicker * and Reagan’s forces proposed a rule change “that would have required Ford to publicly announce his running mate before the presidential balloting” (Wikipedia) Ford’s people called it the “misery loves company” amendment. It lost 1180 to 1069. That was kind of like a test vote.
Ford only announced Dole after his nomination, but there was a short list before, and some time spent vetting.
* Schweiker then claimed he was a conservative – and spent the next four years proving it! Then, in 1980, his term expired, and also Ronald Reagan was elected president, and he appointed Richard S. Schweiker Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Sammy Finkelman (a5988d) — 4/26/2016 @ 8:05 amAnnouncing that Carly Fiorina is being vetted for VP is nothing but a cynical publicity stunt to keep Ted Cruz on TV on a day when Donald Trump is expected to sweep the Northeast primary states. It’s not that she wouldn’t make a pretty good VP or that she wouldn’t make a valuable addition to the Cruz campaign, he’s using her, it’s the second desperation gambit Cruz has launched in the last few days.
Cruz is on the verge of falling apart, Trump is way out in front and Kasich is lurking in the shadows with evil intent ready to pull the rug from under Ted’s feet when the opportunity presents itself.
ropelight (371c0b) — 4/26/2016 @ 8:05 amRubio has several major endorsements, which is another reason he would be a good pick. It gives establishment types who don’t like Cruz cover to support the ticket.
DRJ (15874d) — 4/26/2016 @ 8:09 amMartinez also doesnt raise Melania’s hackles as much as other possible female VPs.
urbanleftbehind (5eecdb) — 4/26/2016 @ 8:09 amKevin, that could be a plot point in a future TBBT episode, seeing as Sheldon Cooper is from Texas. Could be a half-brother he didnt know about. (The Maid or when mom had that big “tumor” and then she didnt).
It is a PR stunt — like the ones Trump has used every day of this campaign. I’m sure Trump and his supporters will scream bloody murder that Cruz is taking a oage from Trump’s playbook.
DRJ (15874d) — 4/26/2016 @ 8:11 amCruz-Rubio begats Clinton-Webb, Clinton-Booker, Clinton-Bredesen/Rendell, Clinton-Jim Marshall or John Barrow. Heath Shuler would have been in demand too.
urbanleftbehind (5eecdb) — 4/26/2016 @ 8:12 am#48 rope-lite,
It’s interesting that you perceive the announcement that Fiorina is being vetted as a “publicity stunt.”
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 4/26/2016 @ 8:20 amWe know that you would never stoop to support a candidate who engages in crass, self-aggrandizing publicity stunts—that’s why you support Donald J. Trump. (LOL)
43.Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/26/2016 @ 7:32 am
That’s probably true, but that name can be known before the convention. She may only announce it before if she looks like she will be held at fault for not doing so. I think she will actually have decided, and in fact has alreday decided, (just like she decided to run for president in 2016 a long time before she announced) subject only to something unexpected happening with the Republicans.
I think all the named being put out are bluffs. (Her thinking probably is: Why tip off negative researchers or make fund raising easier? so she’ll want to avoid announcing the name as much as possible.)
The people being bluffed include some of the people being vetted.
What tells me it is probably Maria Cantwell is this article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/24/us/politics/hillary-clinton-vice-president.html
They go out of their way to make something like that plausible:
If she wants someone to work with, it is going to be a woman, because she always picks women as his top aides, with very few exception. This is the most telling thing to me.
The article also says:
This looks like something to throw people off. Maria Cantwell, at 57, might plausibly fit into both categories. She would be 65 in 2024. The choice of Gore, in that he had a somewhat similar biography to that of Bill Clinton was mentioned several times by her aides.
I think also Hillary Clinton needs someone with a hidden (but maybe minor) scandal, so she has power over the vice president and is assured of his or her loyalty. I am not sure what the scandal could be with Maria Cantwell, but doing something semi-legal could be a condition of taking the job.
Oh wait, look look: http://soundpolitics.com/archives/007001.html Nothing crimninal here, that we know of. Perfect!
Sammy Finkelman (a5988d) — 4/26/2016 @ 8:26 amGreetings:
I have my doubts about Carly Fiorina. First, I haven’t received a response to the résumé I sent her offering to be her white House Intern numero uno. Second, there’s that whole Eye-talian thing that what isn’t an opera is a vendetta.
11B40 (6abb5c) — 4/26/2016 @ 8:28 am^she’s Italian by injection, and since she didn’t bear fruit from Frank, not a lot of cell transfer. While she certainly has the “look” she’s actually a WASPy Texan (nee Sneed).
urbanleftbehind (5eecdb) — 4/26/2016 @ 8:39 am@Sammy Finkelman:Maria Cantwell, at 57, might plausibly fit into both categories.
Maria Cantwell is the less objectionable of Washington’s Senators. She voted for the war in Iraq and for CAFTA, which won’t make her friends with the Berniebots. She ran using her dot.com money. When she broke campaign finance laws and got heavily in debt Clinton helped her raise the money to pay them back.
Gabriel Hanna (64d4e1) — 4/26/2016 @ 9:06 amTypo or something. I should have written:
And they are stressing the idea – in fact two ideas. 1) That she wants to pick someone with an idea toward how the person would do the job of vice president (governing ability) That includes this claim she is looking for someone who is unquestionably qualified for the presidency – and 2) that the similar biography that Gore had in 1992 is not a disqualification.
I think the throwing out of names with their pro and con considerations, is to hide the real considerations. I think the claim that there is no front-runner is a flat out lie.
I think the names being leaked as possibilties are not going to be it. I think the idea that Elizabeth Warren is a possibility is just a bluff. I think they know very well that the vice-presidential choice doesn’t affect the vote for president much. I don’t think Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio has a shot at it at all. Vice Presidential candidates rarely affect how a state votes, and they know it. And the idea that his being a liberal would be a help is contradicted by another leak.
I don’t think Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, and Thomas E. Perez are really in the running either, and neither is Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, or Julián Castro (with the pro argument that he would overcome her high unfavorability ratings and the con argument that that’s not needed – both the pro and con arguments being lies)
I don’t think Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner of Virginia or Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota or any name whatsoever that’s been leaked to the New York Times is someone whom Hillary Clinton is truly interested in for vice president.
I think the idea she is superstitious and doesn’t want to get too far ahead of herself is also a lie.
Then there’s also this in the article:
The point here is this: Bernie Sanders’ people are particularly angry with Maria Cantwell, since she is a superdelegate who has announced she will still vote for Hillary in spite of the fact that Bernie Sanders won the Washington State Democratic Caucus on Saturday, March 26, by a landslide, 19,135 to 7,136. or nearly 73%.
So, if she’s going to pick Maria Cantwell, and doesn’t want the New York Times to disparage her political skill and her campaign’s skill later, she’s got to say that’s not a factor. But the reason they give is a lie:
You can say “most” of course, and therefore backed up by polling, but it’s a ridiculous assertion, since “most” amounts only to 50% plus 1. It contradicts another leak too, since they’re using this as a pro argument for Senator Sherrod Brown, so why is it suddenly no consideration?
Hillary Clinton does several percentage points worse than Bernie Sanders against any of the Republicans, and surely some Republicans would vote for Hillary but not Bernie. Who are these people that would vote for Bernie when running against a Republican, but vote for the Republican if it was Hillary?? They exist.
Why this pointed reference to not needing to enthrall the supporters of Bernie Sanders?
Clearly, at the minimum, she’s not going to pick anyone who didn’t endorse her. And this claim may point to Maria Cantwell, with whom Bernie’s supporters are actually angry with. (albeit probably only in the states of Washington and Oregon since nobody else probably knows or cares.)
Maria Cantwell made a slightly delayed endorsement of Hillary Clinton late last year, but that was maybe only to make it count more. She was a relatively early Senate endorser of Hillary in 2007, even though that was later in the calendar than in 2015.
It might be mentioned that Maria Cantwell was so loyal to the Clinton in the past that she lost her House seat in 1994 after her first term. She was one of those women persuaded to vote for some things. The only thing I don’t see her fitting he criterion is that the vice presidential candidate should be able to debate well. But I don’t know how she debates.
Sammy Finkelman (a5988d) — 4/26/2016 @ 9:32 amGabriel Hanna (64d4e1) — 4/26/2016 @ 9:06 am
So theer we have a scandal. Hillary Clinton needs someone whom she’s got some hold over.
Sammy Finkelman (a5988d) — 4/26/2016 @ 9:33 amBTW, who is Camille Paglia? I know Instapundit links to stuff she writes but he also links Milo Yiannopoulos.
nk (dbc370) — 4/26/2016 @ 10:29 amPaglia is a first wave feminist, sort of the Mickey Kaus of her genre – openly critical of many phenomena such as Lena Dunham, Amy Schumer et al, and someone with a reluctant respect of Sarah Palin.
urbanleftbehind (5eecdb) — 4/26/2016 @ 10:49 amNk, you are an open minded person. CP is a perfect example of moxie, independent of my agreeing or disagreeing with her. Sharp, incisive, with a “I don’t care what you think” intellectualism.
Here are some quotes:
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Camille_Paglia
My favorite is always this one:
Simon Jester (c8876d) — 4/26/2016 @ 11:03 amYou might appreciate her wit, at least.
Thanks, I remember now. She had some articles about the feminization of American boys, too?
nk (dbc370) — 4/26/2016 @ 11:14 amYes, but I was too triggered to read them, nk.
Simon Jester (c8876d) — 4/26/2016 @ 11:20 amSpeaking of which …
I picked up a new shaving soap at the Jewel. The package reads:
This bar is vegetable based and was not tested on animals.
Reducing impact; our soap uses 85-90% less packaging than a typical shave gel or foam in an aluminuk can.
Like, whoa! Are they selling these to guys who shave?
nk (dbc370) — 4/26/2016 @ 11:24 amWhat’s worse, it’s a Texas company.
yeah the other day at jewel i picked up this new chockit snacky snack and when i got up to pay i noticed it said fair trade on it
so I had to leave it in the basket on the floor
happyfeet (a037ad) — 4/26/2016 @ 11:29 amMore of those Cruz “principles”.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2016/04/25/pennsylvania_delegate_trump_voting_for_who_wins_district_cruz_delegate_im_voting_for_cruz_even_if_he_loses.html
Screw those smelly masses! Don’t they know what’s good for them?
prowlerguy (fa36d8) — 4/26/2016 @ 11:31 amOh please!
fred-2 (ce04f3) — 4/26/2016 @ 12:12 pmThis is like the class nerd debating which cheerleader to take to the prom.
@ fred-2: Thanks for the drive-by insults. The reason your guy is getting his rear end handed to him in a sling by the Cruz campaign is that the Cruz campaign pays attention to this sort of detail.
Your guy thinks he can win the White House on Twitter. We’ll see.
Beldar (fa637a) — 4/26/2016 @ 1:14 pmI don’t think any Washington politician would be a natural fit as Cruz’ Veep in this particular anti-establishmentarian election cycle. Nor do I think that Cruz, as POTUS, would need a Washington insider as his Veep to serve as a go-between with Congress; he’ll need a go-between, but it needn’t be the Veep. He’d be better off with someone who’s a state governor or business leader as his Veep, both for purposes of campaigning and governing.
There are important roles for Ms. Fiorina to play in a Cruz general election campaign and in a Cruz Administration, possibly up to and including as Veep. But I can also see her as SecState, or chief of staff, or in any of a number of other genuinely important positions.
I also think that S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley is a strong contender, and that in particular she would help Cruz emerge to soar above the dirt-bath into which Trump has cast American politics into a more hopeful and optimistic (“Reaganesque”) general election campaign. She’s probably my own favorite right now.
Kasich would bring Ohio (probably) — both its delegates to secure the nomination and, eventually, its electors — but practically nothing else. Ohio’s not nothing. But in my own judgment, it’s not enough to make up for his pervasive dullness and mediocrity.
I think Rubio’s missed his shot as a Veep nominee in this cycle when he insisted on flying his campaign at Mach 2.0 into the swamps of Florida; there was a deal to be made, with much to have commended it, back then, but no longer. Except for Scott Walker, none of the other former candidates (Jeb, Carson, etc.) has much appeal.
Beldar (fa637a) — 4/26/2016 @ 1:35 pmCruz should go hard for Mattis, McChrystal, even entertain Webb. and do it a day or two before California. If he can pull out Indiana, he can wait until a couple days before Cleveland at the nearest base as a “challenge of arms” to Trump and his followers.
urbanleftbehind (5eecdb) — 4/26/2016 @ 1:55 pmI like Walker lots and lots. However, he does not help Ted with the likeability thang.
Carly ain’t exactly nice, either. She does not deliver California, either.
I think Haley has a softening quality that Ted desperately will need against HRC. She would also lock down the Carolinas and perhaps, motivate southern Virginia enough to steal that Commonwealth. She’s my pick.
Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/26/2016 @ 2:14 pmI wantd Cruz/Carly from the start, so this is pretty much a dream almost come true. 🙂
bridget (753bb0) — 4/26/2016 @ 3:38 pmSammy Finkelman (a5988d) — 4/26/2016 @ 8:05 am
Sammy the point being that announcing a VP when everyone knows who the presidential nominee will be is different than when they don’t. As someone pointed out, not everyone is willing to tie themselves to a ticket when they might want to be on another ticket, or at least not be associated with a loss.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/26/2016 @ 9:35 pm@Sammy Finkelman:Maria Cantwell, at 57, might plausibly fit into both categories.
Again, Hillary has trouble with male voters and a two-woman ticket is going to limit her to beta and gamma males. Then again, if Trump is the nominee, she could pick Pelosi and no one would care.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/26/2016 @ 9:38 pmBut in my own judgment, it’s not enough to make up for his pervasive dullness and mediocrity.
And you can’t exactly threaten someone with Jar-Jar.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/26/2016 @ 9:40 pmI think Rubio’s missed his shot as a Veep nominee in this cycle when he insisted on flying his campaign at Mach 2.0 into the swamps of Florida
The number and frequency of mistakes by the non-Trump candidates as they attempted to stop the Stay-Puft Mashmallow Man’s advance is astonishing. This was but one. Cruz’s initial alignment with Trump, rather than strangling him in the crib was worse. The noisy criss-cross of the other day, which turned out to signify nothing, was another. This has been an amazingly tone-deaf campaign in all corners.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/26/2016 @ 9:44 pmKevin, what IS interesting, is that TRUMP will very likely HAVE TO PICK a V.P. candidate.
GUS (30b6bd) — 4/26/2016 @ 9:57 pmIf I didn’t give a sh(redacted), it would be fun and great theater. Unfortunately this CRAP is REAL. And it’s VERY VERY VERY VERY UGLY and SUICIDAL for AMERICA. There is no WIN in any of this.
Fiorina for VP
Perry for SecDef
Bolton SecState
Flynn for DCI
HUD, HHS, DeptEd, DeptLabor to be eliminated
Luttig for SCOTUS
DoE consolidated with Interior and the DoE labs put under DoD
VA abolished
Jindahl for Interior
IRS reformed and put under Commerce
Elimination of the Head Tax
Homeland eliminated
USCG, FBI, and Border Patrol under Justice
EOO and Consumer Protection abolished
EPA and Transportation under Interior
TSA under Justice
NSA under DoD
CIA under DoD
Paul Deignan (d7055a) — 4/27/2016 @ 3:37 amThe belief in Cruz is impressive. His tactics seem like he LBJ 1948 run for senate. Interesting that 10 million people have voted for Trump – 3 million more than Ted but his contention is that he knows what is better for the masses – sort of like those establishment types he goes on about.
spokanebob (e86321) — 4/27/2016 @ 5:49 amI think like LBJ in 1960 he will agree to go on a Trump ticket if asked. The assimilation will be complete….