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John McCain must pick Mitt Romney like Barack Obama must pick Hillary Clinton.

You are right about the electoral math, that Romney would probably help significantly in the West. And he brings economic expertise. But McCain can’t pick Romney, because it would hurt his message (reformer, centrist, authenticity) and cause problems with the chemistry of the ticket, etc. It is also problematic because it highlights one of his perceived weaknesses. It is like saying that everyone is right who says he doesn’t understand the economy. Just as picking Clinton would be like Obama saying everyone is right who says he doesn’t have enough experience.

I was tempted by Romney for awhile, too, even though I didn’t have much personal affection for him during the primary. But, even if Mitt helped significantly, McCain still couldn’t pick him. I think the negatives outweigh even the strong positives. He won’t be VP.

CHOOSE ROMNEY!!!

The real issue is not how well Obama or McCain might do in the closely divided battleground states, but that we shouldn’t have battleground states and spectator states in the first place. Every vote in every state should be politically relevant in a presidential election. And, every vote should be equal. We should have a national popular vote for President in which the White House goes to the candidate who gets the most popular votes in all 50 states.

The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC). The bill would take effect only when enacted, in identical form, by states possessing a majority of the electoral votes—that is, enough electoral votes to elect a President (270 of 538). When the bill comes into effect, all the electoral votes from those states would be awarded to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC).

The major shortcoming of the current system of electing the President is that presidential candidates have no reason to poll, visit, advertise, organize, campaign, or worry about the voter concerns in states where they are safely ahead or hopelessly behind. The reason for this is the winner-take-all rule which awards all of a state’s electoral votes to the candidate who gets the most votes in each separate state. Because of this rule, candidates concentrate their attention on a handful of closely divided “battleground” states. Two-thirds of the visits and money are focused in just six states; 88% on 9 states, and 99% of the money goes to just 16 states. Two-thirds of the states and people are merely spectators to the presidential election.

Another shortcoming of the current system is that a candidate can win the Presidency without winning the most popular votes nationwide.

The National Popular Vote bill has been approved by 18 legislative chambers (one house in Colorado, Arkansas, Maine, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Washington, and two houses in Maryland, Illinois, Hawaii, California, and Vermont). It has been enacted into law in Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, and Maryland. These states have 50 (19%) of the 270 electoral votes needed to bring this legislation into effect.

See http://www.NationalPopularVote.com

This analysis is pathetic. It’s exactly what I would expect from a Romney supporter attempting to shill for his candidate.

-Mormons vote Republican for the most part anyway. It’s not like Willard is going to convert a reliably Democratic voting bloc to the GOP.

-I live in CO and while there are Mormons here, who vote GOP anyway, they aren’t sizable enough in number (even if they voted Democrat and defected to the GOP) to flip the final result of the vote. I don’t think Romney would be enough to put NM and NV into the GOP column by himself.

-No one in OH is going to vote for the McCain ticket because his VP candidate’s dad was a Governor in a neighboring state 30 years ago. Neither will that be the deciding factor in an undecided voter’s calculus.

-While there is a wide array of opinions among Republicans and Republican leaners on Romney there is not among Democrats and Independents – they all can’t stand him.

-His Mormonism will hurt among evangelicals. And while the Southeastern US is the bastion of evangelicals there are a sizable number of them in Midwestern and border states that will be in play this election. Romney’s inclusion on the ticket will be a net negative among those voters.

-Romney is despised by much of the media – both the right- and left-wings – and will only bring negative press to the McCain campaign. Romney is almost as disliked by the media as is President Bush.

-By picking him McCain would damage what could be his strongest attribute – his independence. Romney on the ticket could be a sign to swing voters that McCain is selling out the talk-radio crowd who, reluctantly at the very end of the primary contest, rallied to Willard’s cause.

Sorry, Flap.

You spot on! Mitt Romney is the only VP choice that give McCain a multi state benefit. Plus McCain is admits he is ignorant on the economy. Mitt Romney had 25 years of tremendously successful years as a businessman building companies and providing great returns to investors. Romeny is a great speaker, great fund raiser and looks great in a suit!

McCain should choose Romney but not for a single reason you have listed. Romney is simply the most capable, brilliant, intelligent, exemplary leader to come along in a long time. He has proven he can fix what is broken. He is unafraid to tackle the most challenging issues. He is presidential to the max. McCain needs to choose someone to have at his side that can help him to change for good the broken government he wants to run. Romney has done that successfully. A Romney pick would also help to restore the GOP to their conservative ideals. That is why he should choose Romney. The rest is just icing on the cake. That he helps him in Michigan and Nevada only make him more attractive.

Objectively, Romney brings a great deal of credibility and has deep support in several key states. As someone who has closely watched many of the 2008 candidates, I think McCain would get a massive boost across most states if he chooses Romney.

I agree with Flap and my own research of the electoral map has lead me to the same conclusion. Has Romney pandered? Yes. Does he want the (Vice)Presidency so much that it is almost a turn-off? (Like Hillary and Al Gore did) Yes. Despite this, I overall like Romney and he can bring in/add electoral votes where no other mentioned VP candidate can. And he is a fundraising machine – critical this year against Obama’s. McCAIN NEEDS TO PICK ROMNEY! (By the way, Romney even won the “conservative” vote in AZ)

McCain does not need the South. He needs Michigan, Colorado, Nevada, Ohio potentially and new Hampshire potentially. Well who the hell can make the small difference for McCain in these States? Do you think Huckabee? and if so wake up and shake yourself of this religuos fanatisism, whether it be bigotry towards Romney, Evangelicals only wanting to have evengelicals for President or something along those, or both. I’m amazed at some of you evangelicals, did it ever cross your mind that won of your own”Pres. Bush” is most popular in Utah. Stop all this destructrive nonsense, it’s worse than you guy’s seem to know. Can’t you learn how to disagree with someone and still realize were all children of God and that you can still treat people with dignity and eqaulity. This is not what this country stands for and it is certainly not what the Savior of mankind stands for. Michigan is far more likely to go than Minnisota and this notion that blacks combined with mormon hate in the south would help Obama I don’t buy. If anything it’s for a combination of reasons is going to help McCain and by the way how anyone could not of been impressed with Romney during the primaries I do not know. My only guess is there blinded by bigotry, concious or subconcious. Sure Romney was not that good walking around the stage with a microphone as were some others giving the same speech over and over. Maybe that’s a signal he’s not the fake one. Did you notice however that in moments of seriousness, such as Faith in America Speech, others and debates that he was the real leader and inspirer, which I’m not as obsessed as having in my Pres. as others. The truth is that guy has the potential to give some of the greatest speeches ever, ecspecially in presidential settings, of which Obama is not that good. He is though when he is walking around a stadium, which I don’t think will be as common as Pres. One last word to those of you who bought into the Romney inauthenticity deal. That is the greatest sign of how foolish and sorry your intellectual and emotional judgement is. The fact that right under your noses we did have some real phonies running and you thought it was Romney. To fall for the determined and sensationalistic hype coming from the media who feared Romney the most for so many reasons, who by design tenaciously and yet subtley tried to tag Romney with flipflopper and bring up his religion is ridiculous. To somehow suggest that romney’s character and changing posistions was worse than Gullianis, Huckabee’s, Hillarys, Obamas is ridiculous. Huckabee was flip flopping left and right, around the time of the primaries. Romneys main change of which there are extremely good reasons for, were years ago and extremely understandable, besides if they were’nt what the hell are you expecting. He was allready better than anyone else in those ares. Remember Huckabee flip flopping from week to week on imigration and the fact that he ran the most unamerican bigoted campaign of which I am aware. We could go on and on, but if you people dod’t get it yet, you’ll probably never get it. I like somebody like Bill Oreilly, I could’nt imagine things in the media without him, even though I don’t allways agree with him. Well Bill is likable, but not when it comes to public”crowds”situations and public speaking. What the hell are you people expecting from Mitt Romney? Presidential candidates don’t get better than him. Bigotry I believe cost him the nomination and did not get the person alot of those bigots wanted as there Pres. I think it’s time to stop this hate. This is the stuff that invokes the rightous fury of God, that ironically alot of you people seem to know so much about. Since when was differeces in doctrine what determined what a true Christian was and who the hell do we think we are to go around say other people are not Christian. Is’nt who you are and whether you live up to the pricipals the Lord has taght us. Whether you have real and sincere belief in God’s plan for his children and that Jesus Christ is the very center and foundation of that plan and that you means alot to you and follow him with all you heart. That is a true Christian. The point is this religious bigotry has got to stop. I don’t like preaching like this and it sometimes annoys me to others doing it, but for crying out loud, stop your cowardness, that is exactly what it is and perhaps you the true phony ones. Aaron

Dave, first of all I respect your opinion and you come acrross as alot more reasonable than others, such as willing to admit about Huckabees clear change on Illegal immigration, which I belive you are downplaying. There were other changes to and the media and others for the most part ignored it. Your somewhat reasonable, but how in the world you could say Romney loosing did’nt have anything to do with his religion I do not know and I am not will to go back and forth and expand on that as much as I could. I will say that many Iowans and there so called Christlike Preachers were instructing conregants not vote for Romney. That is a known fact that. If you understand what Romney was up against, then you would understand he actually did good. Yes he was leading early and so forth, but the the former baptist preacher and his supportes were creeping slowly and as wellthe anti mormon sentiment, which was far more evident than anything against women”Hillary” and blacks”Obama” all of which the polls supported. I don’t think there’s any reason why you should deny this. I think it was more of a factor than you think as well as from the left, due to there hate against relion, ecspecially a religion as active and as big of a threat as the Mormons. The left is antireligion and the evangelicals and others as well feel some of that. I was in North Carolina and South Carolina and it astonished me how many people who were evangelicals said they would not vote for him because he was
mormon and I wonder how many were keeping there mouths shut. It was absolutely dispicable and I told them so. Another thing, look at the top of this very page and see the moromon obsession and hate by these so called diciples of christ. I’m not say it was the only reason he lost, but without it he would of killed Huckabee and I don’t think if the first primary were in Utah and a rich evangelical or catholic were running and a poor mormon was in the race and the months later that poor mormon begain rising and then won it would be a big deal. Not only that but ecspecially if alot of the mormons had an anti catholic or whatever sentiment that begain to get stronger. Romney did not flip as much as Rudy or McCain or Hillary. His flip flop on abortion was due to what he thought governments rule should be at that present time as a mormon running in the bluest state in the nation. He was allways pro choice and I think it is far more dispicable to distort his record on that most serious issue. I think you guys need to cut him a little more slack and lighten up. Yes, were talking about the Presidency of the United States, but anyone who is not willing to admit that Romney was not treated with as much eqaulity as others is out of touch. This flip flop balony will fade when Romney becomes President. This Vice Presidential pick is the most important ever ,or close, due to McCains age and a host of other reasons. Never has any candidate than Romney been better positioned with the map and all and areas of expertise ect. One other possiblilty no ones bringing up in the media. McCains winning by nine points in Florida and with Romney winning more conservatives there than McCain and McCain allready having the backing of the moderate gray haired governor, well I think Romney could potentially help McCain there more than Christ and I’ll bet the McCain camp is looking at this. Christ is not popular other than in Florida and this gov. of Alaska is hocus pocus. I don’t belive Pawlenty is being as seriosly considered as people think and not that he’s not. Huckabee for the most part could not attract anyone other than evangelicals, which says something about the disconnect between the media and mainstream america. Romney one evangelicals in many states, including in the west and north and yes he did good in states he spent hardly any money in and by the way it’s not Romney’s fault alot of people did not want to donate to Huckabees camp. If like you say that Romney’s religion does not matter than he is the perfect pick for VP and even if it does and to a degree I do, I still believe it is. So all this talk of other VPs is actually going to help Romney.

Dave, I just that earlier comment up there were you called concluded Mormons must be morons. Would you ever say that about women or blacks because they “ecspecially blacks” are voting according to what is called” identity politics”? If this is the same Dave who responded to me, then I take back my previous comment on how you come accross as reasonalbe. My friend it is dispicable to spew this hatered and that is exactly what I’m talking about. This Mormon hate has got to cease. Maybe Mormons are large for Romney like blacks are for Obama because they are’nt blinded by bigotry and recognize clearly that Romney is one of the best candidates or seekers to the Presidency. I can’t imagine someone with no previous anti mormon feelings”concious or subconcious” being so quick to conlude and make such a statement”mormons are morons”. Do you even have the character to be honest with yourself in the silent chambers of your mind between you and you alone, were nobody but you will know your thoughts and at least be willing to be humble and down to earth enough to admit that you are suffering with these negative feelings that hurt others as well as youself, or are you just another Huckabee, a wolf in sheeps clothing. By the way I know many mormons who would never vote for someone because they are mormon, such as Harry Ried or some other mormon. Mormons are not the ones making this an issue and somebody has got to stand on principle. No I’m not a mormon even though I know many, but I am American and don’t like this bigotry and hatered, largely coming from evangelicals, of which I know many as well. This is dispicable and I will try not to expand on my political and american views and values unless it is someone who is open minded. If you are not the same Daves then this by and large to the Dave who has concluded Mormons are morons.

Aaron:

Please read my first comment (20) more closely. I did not call mormons morons and in fact I defended them as reasonable and principled adults who care about issues and substance. My original comment was actually posted in their defense because earlier comments suggested that mormons vote for mormons (in Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Colorado) and that Huckabee didn’t have a chance because Mormons wouldn’t vote for him. My real point was that Mormons WOULD vote for Huckabee if he were the VP pick because they are NOT so small and bigoted to vote on the basis of religion but social issues that they care about. My other point was that evagnelicals did not reject Romney because he is a Mormon but because his track record on abortion, gay agenda, etc. issues was unreliable(not because they are bigoted either).

Huckabee is the better choice for social conservatives based on the record of actions, Club for Growth and Conservative Radio distorted Huckabee’s fiscal record (which as a Governor is at least as good as Romneys and distinctly better in job growth) and in fact talk radio pimped shamelessly for Romney. They ar about equal on national security althoigh I personally liked the plan details that Huckabee spelled out.

Again if you reread my comments you will see they reflect respect for folks of the LDS persuasion, a believe that Huckabee is the better candidate, and that Mormons are NOT so small as to vota against a man who stands for what they believe is right because he beat their candidate in the primary.

wOULD SOMEONE PLESE CALL OR WRITE MCCAIN AND TELL HIM TO COME HOME FROM OVERSEAS. HE HAS A CAMPAIGN TO RUN. THOSE PEOPLE IN THOSE FOREIGN COUNTRIES ARE NOT THE VOTERS.

Mitt Romney for vice president is the only choice who can benefit John McCain. Mitt has already stated that his faith would not have nothing to do with his duty as president and (at his own words) would not influence his decisions should he become John McCain’s choice for vice president. (Remember how negative reactions to John F. Kennedy becoming the first Catholic president suddenally vanished and became unimportant)

Mitt’s record speaks for itself. The Olympics and his business experience is a definite plus. As for the press, they are biased beyond belief and it is hard to vision them offering any help what so ever to anyone other than Barack Obama. The all mighty press needs a reality check and is considerably out of touch with the American voters and or views of the American People.

The press has shown a despicable attitude toward John McCain by demonstrating overwhelming and biased support for Senator Barrack Obama, Mr. Obama is suffering from over confidence and delusions of grandeur by presuming that he is already president of the United States of America. I find this incomprehensible and, in my opinion, will do much to benefit John McCain.

That’s right. But still election is over. Obama won, McCain is sad but still its some fight. He may be loser but he will always be remembered as a presidential hopeful.