Sure, everyone's looking for the next Prez, so we have sights on who's making the play to become the next VEEP, the ultimate #2! At vicepresidents.com it is about people in the shadow-the second string, the runners up... The Latest: Goodbye Thompson, Ed Rendell and David Letterman!
01/22 Thompson Withdraws and Romney Gives Him a VP Nod
"Today, I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort," Fred Thompson said in his parting speech today.
So the question remains: Who will his withdrawal help, and who would he help as a VP nominee?
According to the latest ABC Poll...
30% of Thompson supporters named McCain as a second choice,
20% named Huckabee,
18% named Romney and
How does McCain feel about Thompson?
Back in 2000, Thompson endorsed Senator McCain, so it's possible he may endorse again, hoping to get a nod. In fact, McCain told the Associated Press: "Fred Thompson ran an honorable campaign. He and I will remain close friends, and I wish him and his family the best."
Thompson As VEEP:
Thompson could help Senator McCain (AZ) get ahold of the Southern base with his TN roots.
Thompson's Withdrawal:
Some say Thompson staying in the race for so long has prevented Huckabee from sweeping McCain away.
Thompson/Huckabee
Thompson's Withdrawal:
In an interview on Tuesday, Huckabee speculated that he "probably would have won against McCain in South Carolina" if Thompson had dropped out sooner. Exit polls show that Huckabee garnered the most Conservative votes in South Carolina, but Thompson came in at a close second (McCain trailing in third).
Thompson As VEEP:
Thompson could add to Huckabee's "celebrity" appeal... that is, if Huckabee doesn't pick Stephen Colbert or Chuck Norris first!
Thompson/Romney
How Does Mitt Feel About Thompson?
"Throughout this campaign, Fred Thompson brought a laudable focus to the challenges confronting our country and the solutions necessary to meet them," Romney said in a statement. "He stood for strong conservative ideas and believed strongly in the need to keep our conservative coalition together."
Thompson's Withdrawal:
Romney stands to gain much from Thompson's departure in the Sunshine State where he's campaigned aggressively and spent a ton of money trying to appeal to the Conservative base. Mitt said, "He also was one of the other — probably the only one of the field — that focused on pulling together the old Reagan coalition, if you will, the conservative coalition of social, economic and foreign policy conservatives."
Thompson As VEEP:
Romney, himself, has had some trouble meeting the Conservative-Evangelicals. When asked point-blank if he'd consider Thompson as a potential VP, Romey responded: “Anybody who ran for office in this field is a very strong individual and should be considered as a VP nominee whether for me or for somebody else,” Romney said. “But he’s a terrific and highly capable guy and anyone would think that having Fred Thompson as a VP would be a good thing.”
01/22 Ed Rendell Talks About VP Position -- for Joe Biden
"If Sen. Obama wins the nomination, there's no question in my mind he should ask (Delaware) Sen. (Joe) Biden," Governor Ed Rendell told the Patriot-News on Wednesday. "Obviously he doesn't have the same experience on foreign policy and terrorism, and Sen. Biden would be a good fit," he said.
He also added, "I think Sen. Clinton would have to look South and West." He made no mention of the fact that he's a good friend of both Bill and Hillary, who many say he'd be well suited to run with.
"I like to be my own boss," Ed reportedly mentioned.
Even so, Ed Rendell himself is being pushed to run for VP with Bloomberg on an Independent Ticket. He's served prominent positions as Chairman of the Democratic National Convention in 2000 and the current Chair of the Democratic Governors Association. He previously served as the mayor of Philadelphia (1992 - 1999) and has been the Governor of Pennsylvania since 2003. Rendell cut through an enormous defecit by curbing spending, while simultaneously cutting business and wage taxes and revitalizing Philly neighborhoods. The New York Times called his term as mayor "the most stunning turnaround in recent history" and Al Gore called him "America's Mayor" in 2000.
His record as Governor was mixed: on one hand, he created a prescription drug program to cover senior citizens and he created new revenue for the state, but on the other hand he obtained the revenue by legalizing gambling as well as a slight tobacco and utility revenue.
Rendell was named as a possible runningmate for Kerry in the 2000 election and is credited with helping Kerry hold down Pennsylvania, where Rendell enjoyed popularity.
Psst... word on the street is that Rendell is so awesome he even has a steak hoagie and a Harrisburg burger named after him!
01/22 Clinton-Edwards?
The Washington Post, among others, speculated that Edwards' performance in the Democratic debate last night suggested that he may have went somewhat easy on Obama and Clinton in hopes of being picked for VEEP.
After a 20 minute post-debate huddle with Clinton, one has to wonder what John hoped to accomplish if not planting the VP seed.
01/22 Edwards-Letterman Ticket?
On David Letterman last night, Edwards was asked who -- out of Clinton or Obama -- would he consider for his vice presidential nominee.
Edwards coyly responded, "Well, they’re both good people. I would consider both of them, but there are other people too."
Letterman presses him further and asks "If I broke into your hotel tonight – and I’ve tried -- And you’re sound asleep and I wake you up and I said, ‘All right, who’s your Vice President?,’ what name comes out?"
An extremely creeped out Edwards laughed, "David Letterman."
