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La. Gov. Bobby Jindal: One of Mitt Romney's VP vettees
The New York Times is reporting that Mitt Romney may officially select his running mate very soon, possibly as early as this week. If Romney does choose a running mate in July, it will be one of the earliest selections in presidential history. From a strategic perspective it seems announcing a running mate as early as possible is the right move.
There are a few benefits for waiting until late in the race to announce a Vice Presidential candidate, assuming you don’t need more time to properly vet the possible candidates. The naming of a running mate does guarantee the story will dominate the political headlines for a few days, so there could be some value in waiting until it is closer to election day when winning each news cycle is more valuable.
Holding off also gives a campaign more flexibility to respond to surprises. For example a breaking foreign policy or military crisis could make the campaign feel they would benefit from picking an expert on those issues.
The few possible benefits of holding off an announcement, though, seem minor compared to the bigger benefits of choosing early. One of the most valuable assets a campaign has is the candidate’s time, which is inherently in limited supply. There is always a need for the candidate to appear at campaign events, media interviews, meetings with important groups and fundraisers. These duties simply can’t be done effective by standard surrogates. The running mate, however, can actually function as a relatively decent substitute for these events. While normally not as valuable as the actual candidate, the running mate does have a level of prominence no mere surrogate can match. In 2008 Sarah Palin was even as good if not better than John McCain at drawing a crowd.
Announcing a running mate a month earlier also gives the campaign an additional month to deploy the VP candidate at events and fundraisers.
We are currently only 111 days out from the election, so if Romney announced his pick on Friday, that would give his campaign 108 days to make use of his running mate. If instead Romney waited until the Republican Convention, that would give his campaign only 68 days to deploy his VP pick, a more than 30% reduction in time to make use of his VP. Given how valuable and yet limited a candidate’s time is to a campaign, it would seem picking a running mate early is the best strategy.
33 Comments
Also . . .
Romney desperately needs to change the subject, get the spotlight off him without getting in trouble themselves. He needs to get his own party hacks to shut up about his taxes. And he needs to boost his prospects in one of more swing states. So the candidates who could do this are . . .?
The reason this is taking so long is that it takes time for the Romney team to vet multiple years of tax return for underprivileged VP candidates.
So “What Me Worry” it is.
Instead of Romney trying to obfuscate he can send out his toadie VP to go out and obfuscate. That is the mark of a leader, to delegate obfuscation.
Shucks. I guess that’s why I never bc a leader.
what scarecrow said.
They are going to announce this ASAP.
the media hopefully, will ask how many years of tax returns did he/she have to submit for vetting?
I doubt it will erase the he-is-the-problem-not-the-solution theme from the blackboard.
Maybe Mitt can’t find a volunteer to run.
I’d consider you to be more of the “power behind the throne” type. You’re too intelligent to be the face of the ruling class.
Officially, the official body hasn’t even been officially nominated yet even if it’s still officially warm.
If Mitt was to select Bobby “The Joke” Jindal it would look a lot like Poppy picking Quayle.
Jindal, Christie, Pawlenty, Ryan, and the chick….no way.
That leaves Rubio and Portman.
I say Rubio. May help in Florida but won;t help with Hispanics.
But, damn, he’s purdy. They gonna be the purdiest ticket ever!!!
The more people you have ducking questions the more questions you can duck.
I was not a power behind the throne either.
The only job for me in court might be the court jester, whose role it was to tell truth to power. However, I gave up my school mascot costume (Bennett tiger) when I left high school.
You are, and always have been, a danger to the Throne, and, those who sit upon it, and, as well those fawn upon the sitter … eCAHN.
Best admit that truth.
;~DW
The problem with an early pick is the Olympics. Not the distraction the event will provide to the media and the voters, but the fact that the Rmoneys are going to London. That leaves the Veep alone in America and subject to the vagaries of a campaign, alone and perhaps without a babysitting team.
Given the problems the GOP had with the mouth on the last nominee for Veep, I expect this nominee will be expected to stay buttoned-up, and that there will need to be extensive babysitting.
Besides, it’s T-Paw anyway: the only contender whose commitment to less government spending has an actual body count. Bridge. Fall. Down.
Agree that RMoney’s looking for any way to take the spotlight offa him, which is why he’s running these potential candidates “up the flag pole to see how they salute.”
My bet is that Bayou Kenny won’t make the final cut. Nice distration, though… always good for a good yuck.
It will be interesting to see how short & tight the leash is for this year’s Repub Veep-contender after the debacle of 2008. Hijinx to ensue…
which they won’t do if they want their man remaining in office
remember how palin was krystol’s pick?
jindal would be rushbo’s, watch him gush over what a great decision if that’s the pick
not doubting, just wondering, ow are these disqualified more so then any other repub
I don’t think it is a particularly good move. The first question will be how many tax returns? The clown car that is available will mean nothing…The olympics is next week and the country will be checked out till the conventions, if they check in for that.
mitt will hide for the time being, and let toadies like sununu and gillespe take up the oxygen.
jindal would be nothing but ensued hilarity…
Oh god, speaking of hilarity, this just in,
http://www.mediaite.com/online/mccain-i-chose-palin-for-vp-because-she-was-the-better-candidate-not-because-of-romneys-tax-returns/
McCain: I Chose Palin Because She Was The Better Candidate, Not Because Of Romney’s Tax Returns
I stand corrected. It’s unfortunate that those who display honesty, integrity, and intelligence are relegated to the role of court jester. I always preferred the role of subversive to that of sycophant.
He needs Christie to beat up the media and keep them inline. Same for anyone who dares ask him a non vetted question. Besides he could give them a go on NJ which would be a game changer. Also, it would make the whole thing more fun to watch. You know, what did that asshole say today? Which one?
I actually believe that Palin is a better candidate than Mitt. But they both create that grating sensation in my brain.
as a resident of NJ I am on my hands and knees praying that Romney will take Chris C out of NJ as VP! Please Mitt I beg you to take this SOB out of NJ! Please! Christie is so bad that my brother who is a conservative hates him! Mitt take CC AND led a plan to investigate and jail Corsine! If you do this I will stop saying bad things about you!
Hmmm, better hope he does and they win. Otherwise, he baaaaack!
A. E. Newman was my first thought also. Selecting a BP, sorry, a VP nominee who already looks like a caricature would not bode well.
Bobby J is too dumb to get out of the way of flowing lava. But that’s what it takes to be a GOP contenduh today.
I was undecided betw AE Newman & Howdy Doody. Decided I liked the pic in the oval office.
These are the seven allegedly on the short list prepared by several political pundits and know-it-alls and admitted as contenders by Romney’s staff. The negatives outweigh the positives on the five I eliminated. Also agreed to my the x-perts. Rubio & Portman seem to either offer something to the ticket or at least don’t produce any bad vibes.
Indeed, Jindal made a fool of himself in the “GOP Responses to the SOTU” couple years back. PLus, he’s a littel dark for the GOP.
All the rest have inherent problems or baggage.
BUt, don;t get me wrong. I’m not sayinbg who he will pick. Only who he should pick based on the facts in evidence.
Oh, good article and analysis Jon. AS usual.
This is the most entertaining thing going on in the world right now.
Reading these comments brings belly laughs out of me!
This GOP crew is properly called the clown car and they don’t hardly have any room for anyone else in it!
It amazing and somewhat sad as well as scary that the whole republican party is so inept and wingnutty and yet so close to the levers of power!
This Romney show is just getting funnier and funnier.
You’d think this guy would have enough sense to just concede and go somewhere where he and john mccain can cry in their beer.
Thanks for the laughs!
Especially the stuff about Chris Christie, the absolute definition of a boorish buffoon!
I sympathize. Now you see why nobody from Massachusetts says anything for or against Mitt. We all just stay on our hands and knees praying he stays gone.
I am moving out of the state anyway :)